Department of Health and Social Care

Prescriptions: Fees and Charges

Jim Shannon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what the criteria are to qualify for a medical exemption certificate to allow people not to pay for their prescriptions.

Steve Brine: A person can get free National Health Service prescriptions if they have one of the medical conditions listed in regulation 10 of the National Health Service (Charges for Drugs and Appliances) Regulations 2015, and hold a valid medical exemption certificate. Medical exemption certificates are issued on application to people who have:- a permanent fistula (for example, a caecostomy, colostomy, laryngostomy or ileostomy) requiring continuous surgical dressing or requiring an appliance;- a form of hypoadrenalism (for example, Addison's disease) for which specific substitution therapy is essential;- diabetes insipidus or other forms of hypopituitarism;- diabetes mellitus, except where treatment is by diet alone;- Hypoparathyroidism;- myasthenia gravis;- myxoedema (hypothyroidism requiring thyroid hormone replacement);- epilepsy requiring continuous anticonvulsive therapy; and- a continuing physical disability that means the person can't go out without the help of another person – temporary disabilities do not count, even if they last for several months. They are also issued for people undergoing treatment for cancer:- including the effects of cancer; or- the effects of current or previous cancer treatment. Patients can apply for a medical exemption certificate by asking their doctor for Form FP92A.

HIV Infection: Drugs

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many women have joined the PrEP Impact trial to date.

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of potential barriers to joining the PrEP Impact trail for women who are victims of domestic violence.

Steve Brine: Since the start of the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) Impact trial in October 2017, the trial has recruited around 5,700 participants in 121 different clinics. Interim trial analysis, including reported gender of participants, will be available in winter 2018/19. To date, no assessment has been made of potential barriers to joining the PrEP Impact trial for women who are victims of domestic violence.

Influenza: Vaccination

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the rate of uptake of free flu vaccines among vulnerable groups during winter 2017-18.

Steve Brine: In the 2017/18 flu season the uptake rate was higher across all at-risk groups in England compared to the previous year. Provisional uptake data for England on flu vaccines administered from 1 September 2017 to 31 January 2018 for those aged 65 years and over; those under 65 years in an at-risk group; and pregnant women is as follows:At risk cohortsPercentage (%) Vaccine uptake 2016/17% Vaccine uptake 2017/18% points difference: 2017/18 versus 2016/1765 years and over70.472.6+2.26 months to under 65 (in a clinical at-risk group)48.748.9+0.2All pregnant women44.847.2+2.4 Further information is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/seasonal-flu-vaccine-uptake-in-gp-patients-monthly-data-2017-to-2018

Relationship and Sex Education

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education in advance of the publication of guidance issued to schools to support the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education lessons; and what public health content is planned to feature in that guidance.

Steve Brine: The Secretary of State has met the Secretary of State for Education to discuss a range of issues of mutual interest. The Department of Health and Social Care and Public Health England are members of the cross-Government group convened by the Department for Education (DfE) to inform this guidance to support the teaching of Relationships and Sex Education and will continue to provide expert advice through the development and consultation of the guidance. Officials have met DfE colleagues to provide up-to-date international evidence for effective relationships and sex education, and to discuss public health priorities for the statutory guidance. The guidance will support schools to teach young people the knowledge they need to stay safe, have healthy relationships and thrive in the modern world. Ministers are currently considering the evidence gathered during the recent call for evidence, with draft guidance due to be published for consultation later in the year.

Health: Finance

Mrs Sharon Hodgson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how much funding from the public purse was allocated to activities funded under the section 7A of the public health functions agreement, and how much of that funding was spent in each of the last five years.

Steve Brine: The National Health Service public health functions agreement sets out the arrangements under which responsibility for certain elements of the Secretary of State’s public health functions is delegated to NHS England. The agreement is made under section 7A of the National Health Service Act 2006. Ring-fenced funding and expenditure pursuant to the agreement for the last five years are shown in the following table. NHS public health functions agreement funding and expenditureFinancial year2013/142014/152015/1612016/172017/18Ring-fenced funding (£ million)1,8431,9291,3761,0691,152Expenditure outturn (£ million)21,8411,9981,4611,157(Not yet available) These figures do not include central procurement of adult and childhood vaccines which are administered within programmes under the NHS public health functions agreement as disaggregated figures are not available. Notes: 1Figures from 2015/6 are not comparable with previous years as a result of: - the transfer of responsibility for commissioning 0-5 year old children’s services to local government from 1 October 2015; and- inclusion in 2013/14 and 2014/15 £169 million of public health-related Quality Outcomes Framework payments, which are accounted for separately from 2015/16. 2Includes other expenditure reported by NHS England on section 7A services in addition to the ring-fenced sum.

Coagadex

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether Coagadex is available on the NHS for patients with the hereditary factor X deficiency bleeding disorder; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Brine: At present, NHS England does not routinely commission Coagadex for any indication. A commissioning policy proposal for the prescribing of Coagedex for patients with the hereditary factor X deficiency bleeding disorder has been developed. The Clinical Priorities Advisory Group (CPAG) makes recommendations on NHS England's approach to commissioning services, treatments and technologies, and considers which of these should be prioritised for investment. The CPAG will make its recommendations regarding the commissioning of Coagadex to NHS England in May 2018.

Dental Services: Fees and Charges

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the increase in NHS dental charges from 1 April 2018 on people’s (a) ability to pay for such services and (b) decision to access such services.

Steve Brine: Prior to the decision to uplift patient charges, the Department undertook an equality analysis and impact assessment. These have been published and can be found at the following link: http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2018/336/resources The current exemption and charge remission arrangements are intended to ensure that individuals are not deterred from obtaining any necessary treatment on financial grounds. There has been no change to the exemption arrangements as a result of current increases to National Health Service dental charges. NHS dental treatment remains free for those under the age of 18, those under the age of 19 and in full-time education, pregnant women, those who have had a baby in the previous 12 months and those on low incomes. In addition, adults who are not in receipt of qualifying benefits, but are on a low income, may qualify for full or partial help with charges through the NHS Low Income Scheme.

Drugs: Prices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what progress he has made on negotiations for a new pharmacy contract; and what the timetable is for the interim arrangements published in the Drug Tariff to remain in place.

Steve Brine: We have agreed interim arrangements for the Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework whilst Ministers consider further their substantive proposals for 2018/19 and beyond. These arrangements published in the Drug Tariff will remain in place until any revised arrangements are determined. Ministers expect negotiations with the Pharmaceutical Services Negotiating Committee to discuss a substantive settlement for community pharmacy will commence shortly.

Drugs

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to ensure that stocks of medicines that are in short supply are distributed equitably and proportionately amongst community pharmacies.

Steve Brine: The Department is unable to directly control how stock is distributed as this is under the control of the individual suppliers or wholesalers. However, in the event of supply issues the Department will work with suppliers and wholesalers to encourage and support them, so where possible, supplies are distributed equitably and proportionally.

Drugs: Prices

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) competitiveness and (b) effectiveness of the wholesale pharmaceutical market to provide an affordable supply of medicines for patients.

Steve Brine: The Department has not made such an assessment.

Royal Liverpool Hospital

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what recent progress has been made on identifying a new contractor to complete the building of the new Royal Liverpool University Hospital after the collapse of Carillion; and if will he make a statement.

Stephen Barclay: The Private Finance Initiative (PFI) contract between the Royal Liverpool and Broadgreen University Hospitals NHS Trust and the PFI Project Company is still in place, which means that the Company is still contractually obliged to manage the project and find a construction firm or subcontractor who can continue the building work. The Royal Liverpool Hospital scheme is very well advanced. The PFI Project Company is continuing its discussions with their lenders and with other service and construction companies to assess how best to continue delivering the contract. Officials from the Department and NHS Improvement are continuing to work very actively with all the parties to ensure there are plans in place to keep the delay as short as possible and provide the best value for money solution for the trust and for the public sector as a whole.

Neuromusclular Disorders

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the adequacy in the number of neuromuscular NHS consultants available to meet the treatment needs of patients with neuromuscular conditions.

Stephen Barclay: Neuromuscular is not a specialty or subspecialty defined by Health Education England for the purpose of specialty training or by NHS Digital for the purpose of monitoring numbers of staff working in the National Health Service.However, Health Education England expects that more than 150 doctors will complete specialist training in neurology by the end of 2020 and be available to take up posts as consultant neurologists.The following table shows there has been a 45% increase in the full time equivalent number of consultants working in relevant neurology consultant specialties in the NHS since May 2010:Consultant specialtyMay 2010January 2018ChangePercentageClinical neurophysiology861051821%Diagnostic Neuropathology033 Neurology52377425148%Total60988227245% Source: NHS Digital, NHS Hospital and Community Health Service workforce statistics.

Surgery

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many NHS operations were cancelled in (a) the North East and (b) England in each of the last three months.

Stephen Barclay: This information is not available in the format requested.NHS England publishes quarterly performance data on cancelled elective operations, which includes national, regional and provider level activity, and this can be accessed at:https://www.england.nhs.uk/statistics/statistical-work-areas/cancelled-elective-operations/cancelled-ops-data/Data for quarter 3 (October – December 2017) was published on 8 February 2018 with quarter 4 (January – March 2018) due for release on 10 May 2018.

Paramedical Staff: Training

Peter Kyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135158, if he will classify paramedic science as an exception course to allow those who study it as a second degree to obtain a student loan.

Stephen Barclay: The Department of Health and Social Care has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

European Medicines Agency

Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, pursuant to the Answer of 23 April 2018 to Question 136501, how the Government plans for the UK to participate in the European Medicines Agency during the transition period after the UK leaves the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: From 30 March 2019, the United Kingdom will no longer be a Member of the European Union. However, under the terms of the implementation period agreement regulatory standards and market access for all medicines will continue on current terms. Both sides agree that for the implementation period to function effectively, the UK will need to remain in step with the EU. In this context, the Withdrawal Agreement will be underpinned by a duty of good faith, with a Joint Committee in place enabling either side to raise issues or concerns. These arrangements will help ensure that the implementation period works properly for both sides. Common rules will remain in place and the UK may continue to participate in EU agencies and bodies where the presence of the United Kingdom is necessary and is in the interests of the EU, or where the discussion concerns acts addressed to the UK and its citizens. The exact nature of this participation will be a matter for further discussion. Regarding the future relationship, the Prime Minister's Mansion House speech outlined that we will also explore the terms on which the UK could remain part of the European Medicines Agency. While it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations, we will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in medicines regulation.

NHS: Employment

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to promote careers in the NHS.

Stephen Barclay: The people who work in our National Health Service are one of our greatest assets and we are committed to championing them. We will continue to promote the NHS as a great employer, as well as celebrating the excellent work being done by individuals across the health service. For example, we have recently announced that we are expanding medical training places by 1,500 from September 2018, and the process is now complete for allocating those places to medical schools across the country who will deliver the training, including five entirely new medical schools. Furthermore, in December of last year, Health Education England launched a draft workforce strategy in order to set out a comprehensive system wide understanding of our workforce needs for the future. The draft strategy formed the basis of a consultation which is now closed, and a final strategy will be released later this year.

Department of Health and Social Care: Local Government

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many meetings he has had with representatives of local authorities since 1 January 2018.

Caroline Dinenage: The Secretary of State regularly meets a wide range of stakeholders to discuss a number of issues.

Accident and Emergency Departments: Closures

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many A&E units closed in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many hospitals closed in each constituency in each year between 2010 and 2016.

Stephen Barclay: Changes to the local NHS services are a matter for the local National Health Service, and form part of the commissioning process. This includes working with local people and with clinicians to ensure that changes are in the best interests of patients. Records of this activity are not held centrally.

Clinical Trials

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to maintain competition in clinical trials after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: The Government has made clear that a key priority through the negotiations will be to ensure that the United Kingdom remains one of the best places in the world for science and innovation, including clinical trials. Every Government department, including the Department of Health and Social Care, is planning to deliver a smooth exit under any scenario, which includes preparing the UK for the future economic partnership we hope to negotiate with the European Union, as well as the very unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached and the UK exits without a deal. If the clinical trials regulation comes into force during the implementation period, as it is currently expected to do in March 2020, it will apply to the UK. The withdrawal agreement and implementation Bill will give effect to the implementation period in domestic law and will allow regulations to continue to apply in the UK for this time-limited period. If this opportunity does not come to pass, we will give priority to taking the steps necessary to bring into UK law, without delay, all relevant parts of the EU regulation that are within the UK’s control, so that those planning clinical research can do so with certainty. The UK is already a preferred destination for EU and global clinical trials. The Government has been clear that it is in the interest of patients and the life sciences industry across Europe for the UK and EU to find a way to continue cooperation in the field of clinical trials, and for continued sharing of data and information, even if our precise relationship with the EU will by necessity change. As part of the Department’s Exiting the EU programme, officials are working to ensure appropriate coordination across a number of projects relating to research and clinical trials including workforce, regulations, funding and rare diseases. The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) provides the support, expertise and facilities that the National Health Service needs to undertake world-leading clinical trials funded by the NIHR, and other public, charity and life sciences industry partners, by funding a range of infrastructure facilities and the Clinical Research Network. Through NIHR and its partners, and by close collaboration with the life sciences sector and industry, the Government will ensure that the UK remains one of the best places in the world for research, science and innovation.

Clinical Trials: EU Law

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to ensure continued access to the EU clinical trials portal and database after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: If the Clinical Trials Regulation comes into force during the Implementation Period, as it is currently expected to in March 2020, it will apply to the United Kingdom. The Withdrawal Agreement and Implementation Bill will give effect to the implementation period in domestic law and will allow regulations to continue to apply in the UK for this time-limited period. If this opportunity does not come to pass, we will give priority to taking the steps necessary to bring into UK law, without delay, all relevant parts of the European Union regulation that are within the UK’s control, so that those planning clinical research can do so with certainty. The two key elements of the Regulation that are outside of the UK’s control, and this guarantee does not therefore cover, are the use of a shared central IT portal and database and participation in the single assessment model, both of which require a negotiated UK/EU agreement regarding UK involvement post-Brexit. We cannot pre-empt these negotiations, nor can we disadvantage the UK’s position in these negotiations by giving any further guarantees at this time. Regardless of the outcome of a Brexit deal and the application date of the Regulation, the UK is committed to offering a competitive service for clinical trial assessment. This covers regulatory approval from the Medicines and Health products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) as well as services from the Health Research Authority, ethics services, the National Institute for Health Research and the National Health Service. The current regulatory approval legislation will stay in place until such time as any changes are needed so there will be no interruption in UK clinical trials approval. In the event that the UK is not part of the EU shared central IT portal and database and therefore trials to be run wholly or in part in the UK are not submitted through the EU portal, it will still be perfectly possible for sponsors to run multistate trials involving the UK. Sponsors would have to apply to the MHRA as well as to the EU concerned states. However, MHRA would take every effort to ensure that a parallel submission to the MHRA was as streamlined and efficient as possible and that we were able to match or better the European timeline for assessment. MHRA and UK ethics committees are already internationally recognised for their robust yet timely assessment of trial applications and the UK is currently one of the most competitive Member States for timelines.

Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what plans his Department has to support the maintenance of links between regulators, research ethics committees, researchers and the pharmaceutical industry in the UK and the European Medicines Agency after the UK leaves the EU.

Caroline Dinenage: The Department has always made clear its intention to retain a close working partnership with the European Union, in the interest of ensuring patients continue to have timely access to safe medicines and medical innovations. This includes maintaining a strong working relationship with the European Medicines Agency on all aspects of the life sciences sector. It is of mutual benefit for the EU to collaborate closely with such a well-developed life sciences market in the United Kingdom. Both sides will always be stronger by working in partnership.

Drugs

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will negotiate a deal with the EU to allow mutual recognition agreements on the manufacture and distribution of investigational medicinal products and pharmacovigilance services after the UK leaves the EU.

Jackie Doyle-Price: From 30 March 2019, the United Kingdom will no longer be a Member of the European Union. However, under the terms of the implementation period agreement regulatory standards and market access for all medicines will continue on current terms. Regarding the future relationship, the Prime Minister’s Mansion House speech outlined that we will also explore the terms on which the UK could remain part of the European Medicines Agency. While it would not be appropriate to pre-judge the outcome of the negotiations, we will discuss with the EU and Member States how best to continue cooperation in medicines regulation more broadly, including manufacturing and distribution of investigational medicinal products and pharmacovigilance services. Our overall aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and continued sharing of data.

Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission

General Election 2017

Mr Simon Clarke: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what the status is of the Electoral Commission investigation into the activities of Momentum during the 2017 General Election campaign.

Bridget Phillipson: An important part of the Electoral Commission’s remit is to investigate whether any offences have been committed in breach of the UK’s political finance rules. It is currently investigating whether Momentum, a registered non-party campaigner at the 2017 UK Parliamentary General Election, breached campaign finance rules in relation to spending.The Commission does not comment on live investigations. The outcome will be published in due course in accordance with the Commission’s published Enforcement Policy.

Councillors: Local Government

Mr Ranil Jayawardena: To ask the hon. Member for Houghton and Sunderland South, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission, what assessment the Committee has made of the potential effect on the Electoral Commission's future expenditure of the abolition of the election of councillors to local authorities by halves or thirds.

Bridget Phillipson: The Electoral Commission has made no assessment of the impact on its future expenditure if legislation was to be brought forward and approved to abolish elections by halves or thirds for all English local authorities.

Department for Work and Pensions

Universal Credit: Scotland

Lesley Laird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people on universal credit have been sanctioned in (a) Scotland and (b) Kirkcaldy and Cowdenbeath constituency since its introduction.

Alok Sharma: The available information on the number of individuals with Universal Credit sanction decisions by region and parliamentary constituency is published and can be accessed at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/ Guidance on how to extract the information required is available at:https://stat-xplore.dwp.gov.uk/webapi/online-help/Getting-Started.html We engage at an individual level with all of our claimants and are committed to tailoring the support that we give and any conditionality requirements to the specific circumstances of the individuals. DWP employees take a number of steps to ensure our decisions are fair. When considering whether a sanction is appropriate, a Decision Maker will take all the claimant’s individual circumstances, including any health conditions or disabilities and any evidence of good cause, into account before deciding whether a sanction is warranted.

Department for Work and Pensions: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which regulations her Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate she has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Alok Sharma: The UK remains a member of the EU until we leave, with full rights and obligations of membership. This includes transposing EU legislation into UK law. As such, the legislation which has been or will be brought forward by DWP as a result of the following EU legislation since 23 June 2016 is listed below: 1) Directive (EU) 2013/59/Euratom lays down basic safety standards for protection against the dangers arising from exposure to ionising radiation and came into force 1 January 2018. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has the overall UK government policy lead. The Health and Safety Executive is responsible for a discrete set of regulations (The Ionising Radiations Regulations 2017/1075) under the Basic Safety Standards Directive. The full impact assessment is available at the following link: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2017/1075/impacts 2) Directive (EU) 2017/164 establishing a fourth list of indicative occupational exposure limit values pursuant to Council Directive 98/24/EC. The transposition deadline is 21 August 2018. The full impact assessment is available at the following link: http://www.hse.gov.uk/consult/condocs/cd283.htm 3) Directive (EU) 2016/2341 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 December 2016 on the activities and supervision of institutions for occupational retirement provision (IORPs). The transposition deadline is 13 January 2019. We are engaging closely with industry and will assess any cost or impact of any amendments to existing legislation as appropriate. Any transposition of EU legislation beyond 29 March 2019 will be dependant on the outcome of on-going negotiations with the EU on the UK’s relationship with the EU following our exit from the EU.

Universal Credit

Alison Thewliss: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many claims have been made under the non-consensual conception exemption for the child element of universal credit in (a) Scotland, (b) England, (c) Wales and (d) Northern Ireland since 6 April 2017.

Alok Sharma: The non-consensual conception exemption has only been in operation since last April. Statistics relating to the operation of the policy and the exceptions will be published in due course, once there are sufficient cases to enable robust analysis and the data has been quality assured.

Employment: Harassment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the Government's policy is on the introduction of legally-binding International Labour Organization Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work.

Alok Sharma: The Government welcomes the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO) initiative on ‘Ending Violence and Harassment for Women and Men at Work’. The Government is fully engaged in discussions in the ILO on the scope and content of any new instrument.

Employment: Harassment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if the Government supports the explicit inclusion of (a) domestic workers and (b) unpaid care workers in the proposed International Labour Organization Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work.

Alok Sharma: The Government is committed to ending violence and harassment against workers. We are fully engaged in discussions at the International Labour Organisation on the development of measures which if agreed, would provide an international legal framework in this area.

Employment: Harassment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government plans to support the inclusion of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights in the proposed International Labour Organization Convention on ending violence and harassment in the world of work to ensure that companies adhere to the standards throughout their supply chains.

Alok Sharma: The Government is committed to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and fully engaged in the discussions in the ILO on ending violence and harassment in the world of work.

Employment: Harassment

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what plans the Government has to ensure that (a) the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights are included in the proposed ILO Convention on ending violence and harassment in work and (b) companies adhere to those standards throughout their supply chains.

Alok Sharma: The Government is committed to the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and fully engaged in the discussions in the ILO on ending violence and harassment in the world of work.

Parents: Counselling

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the proposed reducing interparental conflict programme, how local authorities will be encouraged to ensure that children in low-income and workless families benefit from any support provided by that programme.

Kit Malthouse: Local authorities, and the partners they work with, are best placed to understand what support the families in their area need. DWP will be working with 30 local authorities to help build our understanding of how to do this well, through providing face-to-face support for disadvantaged (including low income and workless) families experiencing conflict. Local authorities will be responsible for identifying families experiencing damaging parental conflict and referring them to appropriate interventions, making sure that the parents who need help are offered support. To help local areas do this, we will make training and guidance for frontline practitioners and relationship support professionals available in all local areas in England. We will support managers and commissioners to understand why and how to address parental conflict; support frontline staff to recognise parental conflict; and offer appropriate advice to make sure that they are able to refer parents to appropriate services.

Department for Work and Pensions: Surveys

Faisal Rashid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 23 February 2018 to Question 128682, whether the PIP Claimant Experience Evaluation included responses from people whose claims were disallowed.

Sarah Newton: Claimants who applied but did not get a PIP award were purposely included in the evaluation. Consequently the experiences of people with different award outcomes, including those who decided to appeal, are fully reflected in the research findings. This externally commissioned evaluation is known as the Personal Independent Payment Evaluation. It comprised of three waves of research conducted in 2016-7 and focussed on how PIP processes are working from a claimant perspective.

Personal Independence Payment: Appeals

Jamie Stone: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what criteria her Department uses for appealing decisions by the first-tier tribunal  to award personal independence payments.

Sarah Newton: Holding answer received on 25 April 2018



The Department will only seek to refer decisions of the First-tier Tribunal to the Upper Tribunal, in Personal Independence Payment cases as well as those of other benefits, where we contend that the First-tier Tribunal has made an error in law. Each case is considered on its merits.

Work Capability Assessment

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what recent assessment his Department has made of the efficiency of the use of audio recording equipment during fitness for work assessments.

Sarah Newton: I have interpreted the reference to fitness for work assessments as relating to Work Capability Assessments. Every person who attends a Work Capability Assessment can ask to have their face-to-face assessment audio recorded and all requests will be accommodated where possible. Recording equipment will be provided by the supplier or alternatively claimants can use their own equipment provided they meet certain conditions required by DWP. Despite the very low number of requests for audio recordings the Department will continue to make this service available to those claimants who request it in advance of the assessment. DWP will continue to keep the audio recording policy under review.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when people in receipt of Support for Mortgage Interest will receive an acknowledgment from her Department confirming receipt of their loan application.

Kit Malthouse: The Department aims to acknowledge the return of SMI loan documents within two weeks of receipt.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many staff in her Department are available to visit Support for Mortgage Interest claimants with additional needs who require face-to-face support in understanding and completing the loan application process.

Kit Malthouse: The Department provides face-to-face support to SMI claimants using existing DWP Visiting Officers. The Department has not commissioned a specific number of staff for these home visits.

Support for Mortgage Interest

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her departmental telephone helpline for Support for Mortgage Interest claimants has been fully functional in the last month.

Kit Malthouse: The DWP does not operate a specific helpline for SMI and claimants may contact the Department in the normal way. All benefit enquiry phone lines have been fully functional in the last month. Serco are an independent service provider contracted to provide information to claimants in the form of letters, leaflets and telephone calls. SMI claimants can contact Serco to arrange an informed discussion on the numbers provided to them. This Information Discussion service has been operating to specification since being set up in July 2017.

Universal Credit: Equality

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether the Government’s equality impact assessment for universal credit identified any potential negative impacts on women.

Alok Sharma: DWP published an Equality Impact Assessment for Universal Credit in 2011 which included a gender analysis. That, and subsequent analyses, show that women and men are benefitting from the positive employment outcomes and improved childcare support within Universal Credit. The Equality Impact Assessment can be found at:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/universal-credit-equality-impact-assessment

Social Security Benefits: Hearing Impairment

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made of the accessibility of her Department's Claimant Service and Experience Survey for claimants with hearing loss.

Sarah Newton: The Claimant Service and Experience Survey is a telephone survey conducted with 15,000 claimants annually across the 10 main benefits. Proxy interviews can take place where a claimant with hearing loss feels unable to participate, whereby a person answers on the claimant’s behalf or relays the questions to them and responds to the interviewer. We also offer a paper alternative version of the survey for completion upon request, which covers the key satisfaction questions used to report on the DWP’s customer charter areas. To make reasonable adjustment for a latest interview for a claimant with hearing loss, we are providing a face-to-face interviewer who will be accompanied with a BSL interpreter.

Immigrants: Caribbean

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of the Windrush generation have been denied out-of-work social security support in each year since 2010.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of the Windrush generation have been denied disability social security support in each year since 2010.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people of the Windrush generation have been denied state pension support in each year since 2010.

Alok Sharma: DWP officials are working with the Home Office and other Government bodies to help individuals to confirm quickly their residency in the UK and ensure that they receive the support to which they are entitled. The department does not collect statistical information by citizenship status and so does not hold the specific information requested. DWP has set up a dedicated team to confirm residence in the UK for those people who have engaged with the Home Office in order to apply for leave and have never received the necessary documentation to confirm they qualify. DWP has also arranged a fast-track service into the Home Office Task Force to swiftly confirm the status of Windrush cases who are unable to provide documentation in support of their benefit claim.

Immigrants: Commonwealth

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment the Government made prior to the introduction of the hostile environment immigration policy of its potential effect on the (a) entitlement to social security support and (b) general wellbeing of Commonwealth migrants who have been long-term residents of the UK.

Debbie Abrahams: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what discussions her Department has had with the Home Office on the effect of the hostile environment immigration policy on the entitlement of Commonwealth migrants who have been long-term residents of the UK to social security support.

Alok Sharma: The Department has regular discussions with the Home Office in the context of ensuring that the benefit system is fair to British citizens, those who settle here and those who migrate to the UK.

Members: Correspondence

Peter Grant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when she plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Glenrothes of 12 March 2018 on applications for personal independence payments from people affected by mental illness.

Kit Malthouse: The Minister for Disabled People, Health and Work, my hon. Friend the member for Truro and Falmouth (Sarah Newton), replied on 17 April 2018.

Sick Pay

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether she plans to extend the 28-week cap on Statutory Sick Pay.

Sarah Newton: As set out in the recent Command Paper, ‘Improving Lives: the Future of Work, Health and Disability’, we believe people should get the support they need whatever their health condition or disability, including those who have a mental health condition and that the right organisational culture and practices can enable more people with mental health and other conditions to stay in work. We want to reform the Statutory Sick Pay system so that it supports more flexible working, to help people remain or return to work if they are unwell. We are taking forward further policy development and will bring forward a consultation on these changes, as well as any other SSP changes we identify in our wider work, before introducing this reform.

Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether her Department plans to alter the criteria for industrial injuries disablement benefit so that more workers left with long-term injuries at work are able to receive payments; and if she will make a statement.

Sarah Newton: The Industrial Injuries Scheme (IIS) is made up of a number of benefits providing tax free, non-contributory, no fault compensation to employed earners for injury arising from an industrial accident, or from specified occupationally caused diseases. Industrial Injuries Disablement Benefit (IIDB) is the main benefit in the scheme. Around 290,000 people are in receipt of IIDB alone. It can be paid in addition to any other social security benefits a person may receive, although it will be taken into account as income for income related benefits. A range of other benefits can be paid under the umbrella of the IIS to assist workers left with long-term injuries, most of which can be paid in addition to IIDB, these include: Reduced Earnings Allowance (REA), Constant Attendance Allowance (CAA) and Exceptionally Severe Disablement Allowance (ESDA). There are currently no plans to alter the scheme criteria, but we continue to look at all opportunities that could potentially improve support for those people who have injuries or contract diseases in the workplace. We also continue to review our internal processes to ensure they deliver an efficient and effective service to claimants.

Personal Independence Payment

Judith Cummins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what steps she is taking to ensure that claimants of benefits remain eligible for the Motability scheme as a result of the change from disability living allowance to personal independence payment.

Sarah Newton: When PIP was first introduced, the Government worked with Motability to design an extensive £175 million Transitional Support package to support Motability customers who have not been awarded the enhanced mobility component on reassessment from DLA to PIP. This is paid for by the Motability charity at no cost to the taxpayer.Claimants who joined the Motability Scheme before 1 January 2014 can keep their vehicle for up to 3 months after finding out their claim is unsuccessful and are offered a one-off payment of between £2,000 and £1,000. If a claim is pending appeal then the claimant is offered a 26- week lease extension and a smaller one-off payment. In addition, claimants have the option to buy their old Scheme vehicle, and can obtain help to adapt any new, non-Scheme vehicle.

Home Office

Knives: Delivery Services

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing knives to be sent to residential addresses where the parcel carrier has introduced a proof of age signature service which requires valid identification when signing for a delivery.

Victoria Atkins: The Government is concerned about the sale of knives online to those under the age of 18 and we are determined to take strong action to address this.As part of the development of the new Offensive Weapons Bill, which was announced on 8 April, we held a public consultation on a number of proposals including prohibiting knives sold online from being delivered to a private residential address.Our intention is to prohibit the delivery of knives bought online to a residential address, requiring them to be picked up from a place where age can be checked. Deliveries to business premises would not be affected. This is aimed at strengthening the sale of knives to under 18s and is based on existing concerns about online retailers not complying with the current law that knives must not be sold to anyone under the age of 18.

Universal Credit: Females

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what discussions she (a) has had or (b) plans to have with the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions on automatic split payments for women receiving universal credit.

Victoria Atkins: Home Office Ministers have met and will continue to meet a range of Ministers across Government to drive forward the Government’s commitment to transform the response to domestic abuse, working towards publication of a draft Domestic Abuse Bill and supporting non-legislative package. This includes meeting Ministers for the Department for Work and Pensions to discuss the issue of split payments.

Immigration: Bank Services

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many notifications her Department's secure portal has received of bank current accounts which match immigration checks; how many of those notifications resulted in enforcement action by her Department; how many of those notifications included information about regular payments to the account; and what were the nationalities of the account holders.

Caroline Nokes: The 2016 Act banking measures came into force on 30 October; however, banks and building societies had until 31 March 2018 to conduct their initial checks on all personal current accounts against Home Office disqualified persons data.Operation of these measures is in the early stages and it is too soon to provide the information requested.

Visas

Helen Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many visitor visas have been (a) applied for and (b) granted for each non-EU country in (i) 2017 and (ii) 2018.

Caroline Nokes: Applications for visit visas are considered against Appendix V of the Immigration Rules and on a case by case basis. Detailed information on how UK Visas and Immigration makes decisions on visitor cases is published at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/visit-guidance.Information on total entry clearance visas applications (the majority of which are visitor visas) broken down by nationality and outcome (grants, refusals, withdrawals, lapsed) is published in the quarterly Immigration Statistics Visas volume 1 table vi_02_q at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/immigration-statistics-october-to-december-2017.Corresponding data for Q1 (January to March) 2018 is planned to be published 24 May 2018.

Construction: Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135421, how many potential victims of trafficking were identified from 1 October 2015 to 30 June 2017 during the period over which Operation Magnify was conducted.

Caroline Nokes: The answer shows Potential Victims of Trafficking (PVoTs) that have been identified by Immigration Compliance & Enforcement teams on operations attributed to Op Magnify where an arrest was made for the 21 month period 1st Oct 2015 – 30th June 2017. It differs from the answer given to PQ 135421 which requested similar information but for a 36 month period.

Construction: Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135421 on Construction: Undocumented Workers, how many of the 85 potential victims of trafficking identified during Operation Magnify were arrested prior to being identified in that way; and for which offences those arrests took place.

Caroline Nokes: Arrests by Offence CommittedOffence Committed(Total) Illegal entrant (Clandestine)13 Illegal entrant (Document abuse)1 Illegal entrant (Entry With Out Leave)29 Port Absconder1 Port Refused Leave to Enter1 S10 Overstayer32 S10 Working In Breach1 Sch2 Detention7 (Total) 85

Construction: Undocumented Workers

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135421, how many arrests of potential perpetrators of trafficking and modern slavery were made in relation to cases of trafficking identified during Operation Magnify; and what the outcome of those arrests has been.

Caroline Nokes: This question cannot be answered because any cases referred by Immigration Compliance & Enforcement teams to investigate the perpetrators of trafficking and modern slavery which are subsequently adopted by Immigration Enforcement crime teams, police or GLAA to investigate, will be commissioned under new operation names and taken forward on a case by case basis by the agency most suited to the specific circumstances encountered.This process involves multiple case management systems and does not afford the capability to link subsequent investigations back to the operation from where the referral was originally made.

Undocumented Workers: Fines

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Answer of 29 March 2018 to Question 135084, how many fines for the employment of illegal workers have been levied since the commencement of the scheme in 2008.

Caroline Nokes: Since the commencement of the scheme in February 2008 to 31 March 2018; 20,315 initial decision illegal working civil penalties have been issued .Please note the figures are for penalties levied at the initial decision stage which may be reduced, cancelled, increased or reissued at the objection or appeal stage.

Police

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what the net change has been in the number of police officers in (a) the North East and (b) England in each year since 2010.

Mr Nick Hurd: The Home Office collects and publishes statistics on the number of police officers employed by each police force in England and Wales on a bi-annual basis. These data are published in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletins.The latest data available on the number of police officers, by police force area and region, as at 30 September 2017, can be found in the Table 1 of the police workforce statistics published in January 2018:https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/675788/police-workforce-tables-jan17.odsData on the number of police officers, as at 31 March each year back to March 2007, can be found in the accompanying Open Data Table: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/629362/open-data-table-police-workforce.ods

UK Border Agency: Northern Ireland

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether Ministerial approval was sought by UK Border Force prior to re-advertising roles in the Northern Ireland office without the requirement to hold a British passport.

Caroline Nokes: Ministerial approval to re-launch the advert was not required. In line with the Civil Service Management Code, the decisions relating to the management of this campaign have been taken by officials.

UK Border Agency: Staff

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, whether it is the policy of the UK Border Force no longer to require its employees across the UK to be British citizens.

Caroline Nokes: Recruitment to all Home Office functions is conducted in accordance with the Civil Service Nationality Rules. Not all Home Office roles are Reserved for UK nationals; however operational roles in Border Force are Reserved there has been no policy change to this.The Civil Service Nationality Rules are available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/536134/civil_service-nationality_rules_20_june__2016.pdf

Pakistan: Immigration

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, when her Department plans to publish its report on Pakistan covering immigration and political and human rights.

Caroline Nokes: We no longer publish comprehensive country reports covering all aspects of human rights in that country. Instead, we produce more focussed topic-specific reports called Country Policy and Information Notes (CPINs) designed to address the most common and/or complex issues raised in protection claims in the UK.A list of our current products on Pakistan is available on the Gov.Uk website, these are updated as-and-when required. We are currently updating our CPIN on Ahmadis in Pakistan and we anticipate this will be published by the end of May.

Northern Ireland Office

City Deals: Londonderry

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what the timetable is for the Derry City Deal to be signed.

Karen Bradley: The Government has set out several public commitments, including in the Budget and in the Confidence and Supply Agreement, to work towards a ‘comprehensive and ambitious’ set of City Deals across Northern Ireland.A timetable has not been set to deliver a City Deal, however officials from across Whitehall and the Northern Ireland Civil Service have been engaging with Derry City and Strabane Council and partners on their proposals. I look forward to considering these proposals in due course.

City Deals: Londonderry

Conor McGinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, if she will make an assessment of the (a) economic and (b) fiscal effect of the Government's proposals for a Derry city deal.

Karen Bradley: Pursuant to my answer to PQ UIN 137040, proposals for a City Deal are currently being developed.As with all City Deals it is important that proposals align with the economic ambitions and priorities of the devolved region and in the absence of an Executive the ongoing engagement between Derry City and Strabane Council, its partners and the Northern Ireland Civil Service is essential to ensure that aligned proposals offer the best possibility of added value and economic growth.

Treasury

Bank Services: Small Businesses

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury on 18 January 2018, Official Report column 1127-8, what assessment he has made of the adequacy (a) with which the Financial Conduct Authority consultation paper CP18 sets out (i) Treasury and (ii) FCA powers, duties and responsibilities to small and medium-sized enterprises that suffered from bank maladministration in its proposed expansion of the range of people eligible to complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service from 1 December 2018 and (b) of the remedies available to people who suffered from bank maladministration in August 2007 and (A) went out of business and (B) still trade.

John Glen: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) consultation paper CP 18/3 accurately sets out which changes to the Financial Ombudsman Service’s compulsory jurisdiction the FCA could make using its powers. The Government awaits the outcomes of the analysis currently being conducted by various parties regarding small businesses’ options for resolving disputes with financial services providers.

Bank Services: Small Businesses

Jim Shannon: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the oral contribution of the Economic Secretary to the Treasury of 18 January 2018, Official Report, column 1125, whether the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) principles set out in paragraph 2.1 of the handbook apply to all firms authorised by the FCA for its (a) regulated and (b) unregulated business.

John Glen: The Principles for Businesses set out in paragraph 2.1 of the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) handbook are directed at authorised firms’ conduct in relation to their regulated activity, with three exceptions (as set out in paragraph 3.2): principle three – the adequacy of a firm’s systems and controls; principle four – the adequacy of a firm’s financial resources; and principle eleven – the duty to deal with the FCA in an open and co-operative way. These three principles apply to authorised firms’ regulated and unregulated business.

Public Expenditure

John Redwood: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, when his Department put into the budget forecasts of the savings from the UK ending our payments to the EU budget.

Elizabeth Truss: The independent Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) produces budget forecasts independently of Ministers, doing so objectively, transparently and impartially, as required by law. Since Autumn Statement 2016 the OBR have continued to forecast contributions past the point of exit as if the UK were a member state, assuming any reduction in EU contributions is recycled into spending elsewhere. Annex B of the OBR’s March Economic and Fiscal Outlook estimates the size of our financial settlement with the EU and an illustrative profile for future years.

Credit Cards: Interest Rates

Sir David Crausby: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward proposals for a total cost cap on credit card interest.

Sir David Crausby: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he plans to bring forward proposals for a total cost cap on rent-to-own products.

John Glen: The Government transferred the regulation of consumer credit, including rent-to-own and credit cards, to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in 2014. The Government has given the FCA strong powers, including the power to cap the cost of credit, and the FCA can do so if it thinks it is necessary to protect consumers. The FCA is reviewing the high-cost credit market, and has identified specific concerns in rent-to-own. The FCA will publish an update on its work in May. On credit cards, the FCA has put in place a robust package of measures to address the issues in the market. These measures should be given time to work.

Children: Poverty

Frank Field: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of HMRC's local measure of child poverty.

Elizabeth Truss: I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 8 March 2018 in response to question 130804.

Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties

James Frith: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135389 on Motor Vehicles: Excise Duties, how much Vehicle Excise Duty was collected, in each vehicle class, from vehicles registered in (a) Bury North constituency (b) Bury and (c) North West in each of the last five years.

Robert Jenrick: Vehicle Excise Duty (VED) is collected nationwide. There is no official methodology to identify the VED collected in specific areas. The government publishes data on vehicle registrations by postcode and region. The latest vehicle licensing statistics were published on 12 April 2018 and are available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/vehicle-licensing-statistics-july-to-september-2017.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how much money has been raised from the Apprenticeship Levy by HMRC since its introduction in April 2017.

Elizabeth Truss: Monthly receipts data for the Apprenticeship Levy is published by HM Revenue & Customs in their Tax & NIC Receipts publication which can be found online at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/701149/Mar18_Receipts_NS_Bulletin_Final.pdf To date £2.3bn of the estimated 2017-18 liability has been received between April 2017, when the levy was introduced, and March 2018, the latest month for which data is available. In their March 2018 Economic and Fiscal outlook publication, the Office for Budget Responsibility estimated that the apprenticeship levy liabilities would be £2.6bn in 2017-18. This can be seen at: http://cdn.obr.uk/EFO-MaRch_2018.pdf The remainder of the 2017-18 liability is expected to be received in the April 2018 receipts.

Climate Change Levy

Peter Dowd: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer, how many people received relief from the hydrocarbon oils duty on climate change levy supply of taxable commodities not for burning or consuming in the UK in the most recent financial year for which data is available.

Robert Jenrick: HM Revenue & Customs does not recognise the relief with which the question is concerned.

Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Internet: Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the powers available to the Information Commissioner’s Office to enforce their guidelines on online child safety.

Margot James: The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) is responsible for regulating compliance with data protection legislation. The Government's Data Protection Bill will strengthen legislation around data protection and give the Commissioner tougher powers to ensure that organisations comply.As part of this Bill, the Information Commissioner’s office will now be responsible for producing a new statutory age appropriate design code for online services which are likely to be accessed by children. This code will help ensure that children in the UK are granted a robust data regime so they are able to access online services in a way that meets their age and development needs. It will ensure that websites and applications are designed in a way that makes clear what data is being collected on children, how this data is being used, and how both children and parents can stay in control of this data. Non-compliance with this code will be a factor in any ICO decision to bring forward enforcement action against websites that do not comply with the GDPR. The Information Commissioner provides guidance and works with organisations to build compliance. There are a number of tools available to the ICO to ensure compliance with GDPR, including criminal prosecution, non-criminal enforcement and audit. For those who commit serious breaches there are significant financial penalties including fines up to £18 million or 4% of global turnover that can be applied as well as the backstop of criminal prosecution.

Elections

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what plans he has to ensure that (a) information society services and (b) social media platforms cannot be used by (i) third parties and (ii) foreign states to influence UK (A) elections and (B) democratic processes.

Margot James: We take the security and integrity of our democratic processes very seriously. To date we have not seen evidence of successful interference in UK elections or other democratic processes. DCMS is leading work across Government to build the UK's resilience to malicious dissemination of information. This is a key pillar of the Digital Charter which aims to make the UK the safest place to be online.

Theatre

Jo Stevens: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, pursuant to the Answer of 19 April 2018 to Question 135870, on Theatre: Closures, whether his Department has taken any steps to ascertain the viability of regional theatre.

Michael Ellis: We recognise that the arts and culture can bring huge benefits to local communities, and this is why Arts Council England is investing over £100 million of public money into 190 theatres and touring companies over four years. Arts Council commissioned the Theatre Analysis of England research (published September 2016) which highlighted key factors that impact on Regional Theatre, including that of touring activity to the regions. The Arts Council is addressing the issues raised through monitoring of the talent and audience development; financial and management viability of regional theatres that are in the National Portfolio, and supporting them to strengthen their business plans and models over the next 4 years.

Sports: Disadvantaged

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what steps his Department is taking to increase access to sports and fitness facilities for people on low incomes.

Tracey Crouch: Government's Sporting Future strategy (December 2015) set out a clear focus on tacking inactivity and engaging those groups who are least likely to take part in sport and physical activity, including those from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Sport England's investment framework takes its lead from this principle with tackling inactivity and engaging underrepresented groups a key focus of investment, including its investment in facilities. Sport England's Strategic Facilities Fund is making up to £40m of National Lottery funding available over 2017-21 to invest in strategic, solicited facilities projects that support and encourage people to get active. Key criteria of funding includes bids having a clear understanding of local demand for facilities, having identified behaviours of local populations, and demonstrating how sport and physical activity can achieve the outcomes essential to the local community. Since 2016, the Strategic Facilities Fund has invested £27.5 million to support the construction of 23 new state of the art health and leisure facilities across England. Sport England's Community Asset Fund is making up to £15m available per year over 2017-21 to support communities to improve and invest in the spaces in their communities that will support people to get more active, including underrepresented groups. Since 2017 the Community Asset Fund has invested £10,876,307 across 386 projects.

Football: Sportsgrounds

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of the recommendations made by Marcus Keppel-Palmer in his Report, Stand up for seating: Why all-seated football stadia should be reconsidered.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, if he has made an assessment of the risk to safety of football supporters standing during football matches.

Alex Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, whether he has made an assessment of the effect on the capacity at football stadia of the introduction of safe standing areas.

Tracey Crouch: Spectator safety at sports grounds remains the priority for Government. The Sports Grounds Safety Authority is the regulatory body responsible for overseeing and advising on safety at sports grounds. My officials meet and receive advice from the SGSA as part of the normal process of policy development. The Government will continue to learn from the latest data, research, and advances in technology to improve the safety of spectators, but we have yet to see robust evidence of a safer approach to protecting spectators at football matches than the existing all-seater arrangements.

Public Libraries: Closures

Yvette Cooper: To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, with reference to the Answer of 21 March 2016 to Question 904216, in which constituencies the 110 libraries were that closed between 2010 and 2016.

Michael Ellis: The research undertaken by the Department that identified the approximate number of 110 static public libraries that closed completely from January 2010 - January 2016 does not record the closures by constituency.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Heating: Housing

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessment he has made of the level of availability of grants for the replacement of storage heaters in cold homes.

Claire Perry: Storage heaters can be replaced under the Energy Company Obligation (ECO), specifically Affordable Warmth, the part of the scheme aimed at low income and vulnerable households. Government is currently consulting on ECO for 2018-22 which would see the whole scheme focused on low income and vulnerable households and we are proposing that storage heaters could be replaced in a wider set of circumstances.

Gratuities: Public Consultation

Sir David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, when his Department plans to publish its response to the consultation on tips, gratuities, cover and service charges which closed on 27 June 2016.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government‘s consultation identified a range of tipping practices used by employers. The Government is considering next steps and reserves the right to take further legislative action if restaurants do not pay their staff fairly. Any action must benefit workers and not place unnecessary burden on those businesses that do pay their staff fairly.

Digital Technology: UK Trade with EU

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the economy of the UK not participating in the EU digital single market.

Andrew Griffiths: The UK economy is fundamentally strong, with a highly competitive digital economy. The UK will not participate in the EU's Digital Single Market post-exit, as a result of our departure from the Single Market. As the Prime Minister said in her Mansion House speech this is a fast-evolving sector. It will be important to have domestic flexibility, to ensure the regulatory environment can always respond nimbly and ambitiously to new developments. The Government is determined to ensure that the UK’s digital economy continues to be world leading and enables innovative UK companies to compete globally. The Government is seeking to agree a bold and ambitious Economic Partnership with the EU. There is no single model or analysis which can provide a definitive assessment of all potential outcomes. The Government is examining all areas of the UK economy and seeking input from a wide range of stakeholders in order to inform our negotiations with the EU.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether he has made an assessment of the potential effect on the economy of the UK leaving the EU without replacing EU research funding.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As part of our future partnership with the EU, the UK will look to establish an ambitious future agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between us continue to grow.The Government has been taking rigorous and extensive analysis work to support our exit negotiations, as any responsible Government should, in order to inform our understanding of how EU exit will affect the UK's domestic policies and frameworks. We have been engaging with relevant stakeholders from all sectors of the economy and all regions of the UK as part of this process, and will continue to do so as we move forward.We have been clear the Government will not provide an ongoing commentary on internal analytical work that is being carried out within government.The UK and EU negotiating teams have reached another important milestone in the Brexit process by agreeing the terms of a time-limited implementation period. The agreement envisages that UK entities’ right to participate in EU programmes will be unaffected by the UK’s withdrawal from the EU.In addition, the UK Government has committed to underwrite Horizon 2020 funding if necessary. This guarantees funding for UK participants in projects ongoing at the point of exit, as well as any successful bids submitted before the UK leaves the EU.

Horizon 2020

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the proportion of Horizon 2020 (a) projects originating in the UK and (b) funding that the UK received in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As of the 6th March 2018, the UK’s share of total participations in Horizon 2020 was 12.4% and the UK received 14.5% of the total European Commission Horizon 2020 funding. This is equivalent to around €4.2 billion. For further information please see: https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-participation-in-horizon-2020

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what contingency plans have been made to replace EU research funding in the event that the UK is unable to conclude a withdrawal agreement with the EU.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Science and research are vital to the UK’s prosperity, security and wellbeing, and are at the heart of the Government’s industrial strategy. As part of our future partnership with the EU, the UK will look to establish an ambitious future agreement on science and innovation that ensures the valuable research links between the UK and the EU continue to grow. The Joint Report sets out that the UK and the EU fully intend UK participants’ eligibility in Horizon 2020 to remain unchanged for the duration of the programme. This includes eligibility to participate in Horizon 2020 projects and to receive Horizon 2020 funding for the lifetime of projects. The Government encourages the UK research and innovation community to continue to bid for Horizon 2020 funding and participate in Horizon 2020 projects. The Government's underwrite guarantee of Horizon 2020 funding remains in place in the event that commitments enshrined in the Joint Report are not met. This guarantees funding for UK participants in projects ongoing at the point of exit. It also includes projects that are only informed of their success or sign a grant agreement after the UK's withdrawal from the EU.

Research: EU Grants and Loans

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how much EU research funding the UK received in each of the last five years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: UK Funding for Common Strategic Framework (CSF) Research and Innovation or equivalents 2012-2016 Year20122013201420152016UK Funding for Common Strategic Framework (CSF) Research and Innovation or equivalents (€millions)980111479712801385 Source: EU Expenditure and Revenue 2014-2020 http://ec.europa.eu/budget/figures/interactive/index_en.cfm

Carillion: Insolvency

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many former Carillion employees who were working on public sector contracts (a) have not been transferred to a public sector organisation and (b) are not under the management of a new private sector provider.

Andrew Griffiths: The Government does not hold this information. In his role as liquidator of Carillion, the Official Receiver is an officer of the court and is independent of government. The Official Receiver and Special Managers continue to make good progress to facilitate the smooth transfer of staff from Carillion to new contractors. To date the Official Receiver has successfully safeguarded over 11,000 jobs to new employers. Regrettably, and despite his best efforts, the Official Receiver has had to make 2,221 workers redundant and of those 911 worked on public sector contracts. Employees made redundant are being supported through the Job Centre Plus Rapid Response Service (RRS) and local government initiatives. We are also carefully monitoring the situation and we have established a Taskforce, to advise on the impact on employees and small businesses affected by this insolvency event. The Taskforce’s attendees included representatives from leading business bodies, the construction trade sector, unions, banks and government.

Timesharing

Drew Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, whether the Government plans to update the timeshare regulations to address issues around trying to relinquish timeshares.

Andrew Griffiths: The apparently perpetual nature of some timeshare contracts, or the absence of clauses in contracts covering the circumstances under which consumers might bring the agreement to an end, were not covered by the Timeshare Act 1992 or the former (1994) Timeshare Directive which applied at the time most of these contracts were agreed. In 2011 new Timeshare, Holiday Products, Resale and Exchange Regulations 2010 legislation came into force to give effect in the UK to a new European Directive. This provides improved protections for consumers buying and selling timeshares and other long-term “holiday club” memberships including provision for consumers to withdraw from the contract.

Parental Leave

Jo Swinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what the timetable is for commencing and concluding the planned three-yearly review of the implementation of shared parental leave.

Andrew Griffiths: We have started the evaluation of the Shared Parental Leave and Pay schemes. We will gather and analyse information from a variety of sources, including survey data which the Government will commission. Subject to the progress of data collection, we anticipate publishing findings in Spring 2019.

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government: Brexit

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether he has discussed with the Chancellor of the Exchequer additional funding for any projects relating to the UK leaving the EU over the next five years.

Jake Berry: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has already secured additional flexibility to retain income at Autumn Budget to deliver across our agenda, including EU exit. Departmental allocations for 2019-20 will be agreed later in 2018, as requirements will be affected by progress in negotiations with the EU.

Affordable Housing: Construction

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what estimate he has made of the number of additional affordable homes that will be built over the next 10 years as a result of the new viability system in the updated National Planning Policy Framework.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Local Government

Andrew Gwynne: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, which local authorities have not had a corporate peer challenge from the Local Government Association since 2011.

Rishi Sunak: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what proportion of receipts from Right to Buy sales received by each local authority were retained for providing replacement social housing in each year since 2012-2013.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Grenfell Tower: Fires

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for all the people who survived the Grenfell Tower fire to have moved into permanent new housing.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

High Rise Flats: Fire Prevention

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the timescale is for all high-rise residential accommodation with dangerous aluminium composite material cladding to have had it removed and replaced.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Housing

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, for what reason Homes England has not produced quarterly updates on the (a) Affordable Homes Programme 2015 to 2018 and (b) Shared Ownership and Affordable Homes Programme 2016 to 2021 in each of the last two years, and if he will take steps to ensure that the information is published.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Affordable Housing: Finance

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what the total spending on grant funding for affordable homes by the (a) Homes and Communities Agency and (b) Greater London Authority was in each financial year from 2009-10 to 2017-18.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

*No heading*

Mrs Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if he will make representations to the freeholders of Heysmoor Heights, Liverpool on the funding the fire safety measures required after the Grenfell Tower tragedy as a result of the decision by the owners of Cityscape to fund their fire safety measures; and if he will make a statement.

Dominic Raab: The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Rent to Buy Scheme

Mr Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what steps he is taking to promote the Rent to Buy scheme as a route into home ownership; and if he will make a statement.

Mrs Heather Wheeler: The Government is determined to extend the opportunity of home ownership to hard working families who aspire to home ownership but may be otherwise unable to afford it. We are investing over £9 billion in affordable homes, including Rent to Buy, through the Affordable Homes Programme 2016-21. The programme is flexible and sets no ringfences on particular forms of tenure, so providers can bid into the programme to develop a wide range of homes to meet the housing needs of a range of people in different circumstances and housing markets.

Ministry of Defence

Armed Forces: Children

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April 2018 to Question 134985, on Armed Forces: Children, what the timetable is for the review into whether there is a requirement to extend the Educational Support Fund to be completed; and if he will make a statement.

Mr Tobias Ellwood: A decision will be made by the summer.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratory: Finance

Paula Sherriff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 18 April 2018 to Question 135699, how much additional funding his Department has allocated to the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory for running costs of the Chemical Weapons Defence Centre during the current spending period.

Guto Bebb: Holding answer received on 25 April 2018



We are investing an additional £48 million to create a new Chemical Weapons Defence Centre at Dstl Porton Down which is scheduled to open in autumn 2021.

Armed Forces

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2018 to Question 134875, on Armed Forces, how the National Security Capabilities Review has been able to assess the size of the armed forces as sufficient to deliver Joint Force 2025 in the absence of a prescribed minimum number of personnel to deliver Joint Force 2025.

Nia Griffith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, pursuant to the Answer of 17 April 2018 to Question 134875, on Armed Forces, whether he has made an estimate of the minimum size of the armed forces required for them to fulfill all their UK and overseas commitments.

Mark Lancaster: The size and shape of the Armed Forces is under review as part of the Modernising Defence Programme. This will include the delivery of JF25. Our Armed Forces continue to fulfil all of their commitments across the globe, and this government will ensure that they can continue to do so.

Guided Weapons

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to expand its portfolio of air-to-ground missile; and which current projects are considering this capability.

Guto Bebb: The Ministry of Defence has a forward programme that includes Selectable Precision Effects at Range Capabilities 3 and 5 (SPEAR Cap 3, SPEAR Cap 5) that will deliver world-leading strike capabilities for F-35B and Typhoon from the 2020s and beyond, as well as variants of Brimstone that can be used by Typhoon, Apache and the Protector Remotely Piloted Air System. The programme will also deliver Sea Venom and Martlet air-to-surface missiles for use by the Royal Navy's rotary wing aircraft from the early 2020s.The UK's requirement for air-to-ground and air-to-surface missile capabilities is kept under review, including through the Annual Budget Cycle and the Modernising Defence Programme.

Type 31 Frigates: Guided Weapons

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, whether his Department plans to integrate the Mk41 Vertical Launch System into Type 31 frigates as part of that programme's requirements.

Guto Bebb: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 23 April 2018 to Question 135908 to the hon. Member for Plymouth, Sutton and Devonport (Mr Pollard).



135908 - Type 31 Frigates; Cruise Missiles
(Word Document, 22.26 KB)

Air Force: Concessions

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, how many indulgence passages have been granted by the RAF to (a) service personnel by branch of the armed forces and (b) civilians in each of the last five years; and to which overseas locations those passages were granted.

Mark Lancaster: Statistics about concessionary travel undertaken prior to Financial Year 2017/2018 are not held. Details of the number of concessionary visits and the locations for the last financial year are provided in the following table, although there is no business requirement to hold data in a way that allows travel by military and civilian personnel to be separately recorded. LocationNumber of concessionary visitsCyprus4,971Falkland Islands727Canada204Kenya45USA40Germany3Total5,990

Military Intelligence: Staff

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the 11 intelligence analyst pinch-points are which are referred to in paragraph 2.5 on page 19 of the National Audit Office's report, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel, published on 18 April 2018.

Mr Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, with reference to paragraph 2.5 on page 19 of the National Audit Office's report, Ensuring sufficient skilled military personnel, published on 18 April 2018, what assessment his Department has made on the effect of the shortfall of intelligence analysts on its operations and its ability to deliver agreed defence tasks.

Mark Lancaster: The Ministry of Defence does not publish the names or specific details of Operational Pinch Points (OPPs) as this information would, or would be likely to prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the Armed Forces. The Armed Forces continue to meet all their operational commitments.

Jordan: Military Aid

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans the UK has to increase military assistance to Jordan for (a) training and (b) equipment.

Mark Lancaster: Jordan remains our largest military capacity building programme in the region. Importantly, we work with the Jordanian Armed Forces to identify areas of support. As a consequence, we deliver significant levels of training and equipment each year designed to help the Jordanian Armed Forces mitigate the risks of contagion from conflict in Iraq and Syria. Jordan is one of our closest regional allies and we plan to continue our level of support for as long as Jordan needs it and continues to face these security challenges.

Scotland Office

Food Banks: Scotland

David Linden: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, whether he plans to visit a food bank in April 2018.

David Mundell: I currently have no plans to visit a food bank in my capacity as Secretary of State for Scotland in April 2018.

Scotland Office: Freedom of Information

Deidre Brock: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland, for what reasons his Department's responses to Freedom of Information requests have not been published on the publications section of his Departments web pages since 21 August 2014;  and where those responses are now published.

David Mundell: There is no obligation to publish responses to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Department is currently reviewing its practices on publication of responses.

Department for International Trade

Department for International Trade: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Greg Hands: The Department for International Trade (DIT) uses three IT systems that are between three and five years old, three that are between five and eight years old, and five that are more than eight years old. Some of these systems are provided by other Government departments.IT and digital systems are promptly patched and updated as required in accordance with security requirements, DIT's Digital strategy and Government Digital Service best practice.

Trade Agreements

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, whether his Department plans to conduct impact assessments on the effect of trade deals after the UK leaves the EU on women and women's rights .

Greg Hands: The UK is committed to promoting the economic empowerment of all women and recognises trade as an important lever for equality. Last week, my Rt Hon Friend, the Secretary of State for International Trade, announced that, as the UK establishes an independent trade policy, we will take a gender-responsive approach to trade and create a framework that delivers for female exporters (www.gov.uk/government/speeches/global-economic-outlook-trade-growth-and-the-commonwealth).

Department for International Trade: Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, how many (a) staff and (b) consultants in his Department are paid more than the Prime Minister pro-rata.

Greg Hands: Information on high earning staff in the Civil Service is in the public domain, accessible via the transparency data reports on gov.uk. The most recent version is the senior officials 'high earners' salaries as at 30 September 2017. https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/693864/_150k_2017_Master_for_publication_March_18_update.csv/previewThe Department does not hold information on the pay received by individual consultants from their employing company.

Legatum Institute

Mr Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for International Trade, on what dates he or officials from his Department met with representatives of the Legatum Institute; which representatives of the Department and the Institute attended each meeting; and what was the content and purpose of each meeting.

Greg Hands: DIT Ministers meet a variety of think tanks and external stakeholders on a regular basis. Details of the meetings held by DIT Ministers are published on the Gov.UK website and can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-trade&publication_type=transparency-dataBelow ministerial level, officials meet think tanks and a range of other stakeholders, including businesses, trade unions and civil society as part of general engagement activities of the department.

Department for Transport

Department for Transport: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Chris Grayling: My department has introduced 32 regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23 June 2016. In 2018, we expect to introduce a further 11 regulations. In 2019, we expect to introduce 7 regulations. However, the exact number is subject to ongoing negotiations. All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and impact assessments, where available, can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk.

European Aviation Safety Authority

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking as a result of the statement by Andrew Haines, the Chief Executive of the Civil Aviation Authority, that the UK should remain in the European Aviation Safety Authority as full members.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the effect of having an independent air safety regime on the ability (a) to land UK-certified aircraft in EU states and (b) of EU certified aircraft being able to land in the UK after the UK leaves the EU.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment the Government has made of the effect of the UK not being a member of the European Aviation Safety Authority on the ability of UK flights to operate in EU airspace between the UK and Gibraltar.

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what impact the UK being outside of the European Aviation Safety Authority would have on the ability of UK flights to operate in EU airspace flying in between the UK and the UK military bases on Cyprus.

Chris Grayling: I refer the Right Honourable Member to my answer of 25 April 2018 (UIN 136092).

Railways: West Midlands

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what measures he is taking to increase the number of passenger rail journeys in the West Midlands.

Joseph Johnson: In the past decade the total number of rail journeys in the West Midlands region has increased by more than two-folds: 39.8 million in 2006-07 to 91.5 million in 2016-17. The new West Midlands Franchise, which commenced in December 2017, includes numerous initiatives that will further improve and increase passenger journeys in the West Midlands. There will be more than 180 new train carriages for the West Midlands, creating more space for people. This includes investment in 100 new carriages on the Cross City line and 80 new carriages for the Snow Hill line, offering longer and more spacious services. There will also be a number of additional passenger journey opportunities, including; more trains between Birmingham and Shrewsbury with 2 services per hour from December 2018; a regular 2 trains per hour service between Birmingham and Rugeley via the Chase Line, also from December 2018; and, an extension of Cross City line services from Longbridge to Bromsgrove upon the completion of electrification this summer.

East Anglia Railway Line

Clive Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what (a) discussions and (b) correspondence his Department has had with Greater Anglia in relation to its commitment to provide four 90-minute services per day between Norwich and London during calendar year 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The Greater Anglia Franchise Agreement sets out the obligation to deliver the improved journey time between Norwich and London Liverpool Street from May 2019. Greater Anglia continues to develop the May 2019 timetable and as part of the improvements for passengers secured through this franchise Greater Anglia is delivering a whole new fleet of trains that are on track to enter passenger service in 2019.

Shared Spaces: Disability

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, with reference to the report of the Women and Equalities Select Committee, Building for Equality: Disability and the Built Environment, published on 25 April 2017. what plans his Department has update Local Government Note 1/11 published in October 2011 to take into account the recommendations on shared space schemes.

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what plans his Department has to amend the driving test to take into account shared space schemes.

Jesse Norman: The Government published its response to the Women and Equalities Select Committee report on 14 March 2018. It can be found at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/disability-and-the-built-environment-government-response-to-select-committee-report. The response welcomed the Committee’s contribution to this important debate and is absolutely clear that the needs of the whole community, including disabled people, need to be considered by councils looking to introduce any public realm scheme, including shared space. The Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation has now reported to the Government on its review of shared space. It published “Creating better streets: Inclusive and accessible places” in January 2018.http://www.ciht.org.uk/en/document-summary/index.cfm/docid/BF28B40D-9855-46D6-B8C19E22B64AA066 The review has considered many of the issues raised by the Committee, and the report made recommendations for further work, including on guidance. The Government is considering those recommendations and will respond formally in due course. The Department for Transport is aware of and understands the issues raised around navigation within shared space. Local Transport Note 1/11: Shared Space already stresses the importance of engaging with groups representing disabled people during the development of any shared space scheme. It also refers to the need for authorities to ensure their designs are inclusive and reminds them of their duties under the Equality Act 2010. Local traffic authorities are responsible for the design of streets in their care, and do not have to seek Department for Transport approval to install street design schemes, whether they incorporate shared space or not. With regards to the driving test, both the theory and practical test are periodically updated to ensure the tests are kept up to date. There are no plans currently to include shared space.

West Coast Railway Line

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether any Government-owned companies are responsible for train maintenance on the West Coast mainline.

Joseph Johnson: There are no Government-owned companies responsible for the maintenance of trains operated by franchisees on the West Coast mainline. Direct Rail Services, a subsidiary of the Government-owned Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, does have depots at Crewe and Carlisle for the maintenance of its own train fleet and provides some support services, such as rescue locomotives, for franchised operators.

Great Western Railway Line

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what steps he is taking to support commuters on the Great Western line who will be affected by planned closures and alterations to services in summer 2018.

Joseph Johnson: The Department looks to the train operators affected by engineering closures to cooperate with Network Rail to ensure that passengers have as much information as possible about planned closures and alterations to services resulting from engineering works. The Department expects any diverted train services and/or alternative road transport to be organised effectively and to build on good practice established during earlier engineering works.

Roads: Shrewsbury

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what methodology will be used to decide which road schemes to fund this summer; and whether his Department is considering funding a north-west relief road in Shrewsbury.

Jesse Norman: The Department is currently considering bids for large local transport schemes that were submitted in December 2017, including the Shrewsbury North West Relief Road, submitted by Shropshire Council. The schemes are subject to assessment according to the principles set out in the Department’s Transport Business Case Guidance which can be found herehttps://www.gov.uk/government/publications/transport-business-caseWe aim to announce in Summer which of these schemes will receive funding for construction.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Syria: Overseas Aid

Lloyd Russell-Moyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government has provided direct or indirect support to the Syrian militia group Jaish al-Islam.

Alistair Burt: The UK has provided no support to Jaysh al Islam. Jaysh al Islam representatives have participated in certain structures of the wider Syrian opposition, including the High Negotiations Committee and the Syrian Negotiations Commission, which the UK has supported as part of our efforts to encourage a negotiated political settlement to the conflict.

Martin Selmayr

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the UK Commissioner to the EU supported (a) the process which was followed leading to the appointment of Professor Dr Martin Selmyr as Secretary General of the European Commission and (b) the process prior to the appointment of Professor Dr Martin Selmyr; and what representations the UK Commissioner made to the EU Commissioner on that appointment.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Appointments to the European Commission administration are an internal matter for the Commission. The Commissioner nominated by the UK is employed by the European Commission, not the British Government. As such, the question is one for the European Commission not for the British Government.

British Nationals Abroad: Offences against Children

Sarah Champion: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many registered sex offenders who are UK nationals made requests for consular assistance following their arrest for child sex offences between 2013 and 2017.

Harriett Baldwin: ​Whilst we do not hold data on the registration of sex offenders in the UK, from 2013 to 2017 the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO)responded to 361 requests for consular assistance from UK nationals who had been arrested for child sex offences overseas. The FCO is not notified of the arrest of all UK nationals overseas. The Vienna Convention on Consular Relations 1963 (Article 36) provides for an Embassy to be informed of an arrest only if the individual requests it.

Iraq: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Iraqi Government on promoting respect for fundamental freedoms and the freedom of religion.

Alistair Burt: The UK is committed to promoting and protecting fundamental freedoms and the right to freedom of religion or belief across Iraq. We regularly urge the Government of Iraq, at both official and ministerial levels, to uphold these freedoms and the rights of all minorities. The Prime Minister reinforced this message with Prime Minister Abadi during her visit to Iraq in November 2017, the Minister of State for the Commonwealth and the UN reiterated it when he visited in March 2018, and our Embassy in Baghdad and Consulate-General in Erbil do so regularly with Iraqi and Kurdish officials. We also work to build international consensus on upholding fundamental freedoms and freedom of religion or belief and urge humanitarian partners to ensure that the concerns of minorities are listened to and taken into account. During a recent visit to Iraq, the Department for International Development's Middle East and North Africa Director met several UN agencies and urged them to provide better data and reporting on their engagement with minorities.

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on replacing the EU's financing instrument for biodiversity, BEST, for the UK Overseas Territories.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Discussions concerning a possible replacement for BEST funding, involving the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, HM Treasury, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and the Department for Exiting the European Union, are scheduled to take place later this month. Following this, there will be an opportunity for further discussions on this issue to take place at a Ministerial level.

British Overseas Territories: Biodiversity

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment the Government has made of the effect on UK Overseas Territories’ biodiversity of EU BEST funding not being replaced after the UK leaves the EU.

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what contingency plans the Government has made to secure funding for the UK Overseas Territories for environmental projects in the event that EU funding instruments like LIFE and BEST are not replaced.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Government is committed to involving all the UK Overseas Territories in our EU exit planning and to ensuring that their interests are taken into account fully and consistently. We are currently working collaboratively to determine the effect of EU exit on the Overseas Territories in a range of scenarios, and to develop a range of contingency measures. This work includes the question of access to, or possible replacements for, funding instruments such as EU LIFE and BEST. Although definitive decisions on access to or replacements for these funding mechanisms have not yet been taken, the UK Government takes seriously its joint responsibility with the Overseas Territory Governments to safeguard the rich and varied natural environments of the Overseas Territories, which will remain a steadfast priority as we leave the EU.

Falkland Islands: Pollution

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what the role of the Government would be in the event of a large-scale category three oil spill in the Falklands Islands.

Sir Alan Duncan: All hydrocarbon activities on the continental shelf of the Falkland Islands are regulated by Falkland Islands legislation, in strict accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. The Falkland Islands Government is responsible for the development of mineral resources in the Falkland Islands and would be responsible in the event of a large-scale category three oil spill. As with all Overseas Territories the UK Government is committed to assist the Falkland Islands in the event of a major disaster.

Falkland Islands: Environmental Impact Assessment

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which government departments and agencies submitted a formal response to the March 2018 Environmental Impact Statement consultation run by the Falkland Islands Government for the Sea Lion oil field.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​Policy on hydrocarbons development in Falklands waters is a matter for the Falkland Islands Government. All formal responses to the March 2018 Environmental Impact Statement consultation are therefore being managed by the Falkland Islands Government.

UN High-level Conference On Nuclear Disarmament

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what proposals the Government's representative will be taking to the organisational meeting of the UN high-level international conference on 10 May 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​It remains unclear whether the organisational meeting of the UN high-level international conference will in fact take place as planned on 10 May. If the UK does attend, we will promote the step-by-step, consensus-based approach to multilateral disarmament.

Middle East: Nuclear Disarmament

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what progress he has made with international counterparts on the development of a Nuclear-Weapon-Free-Zone in the Middle East; and if he will make a statement.

Sir Alan Duncan: The UK recognises its responsibilities under the goals of the 1995 Resolution on the Middle East. We remain prepared to support and facilitate renewed regional dialogue with and among all states of the region on arrangements for a conference. We encourage all States of the Region to offer concrete ideas on how to move forward to engage in a structured dialogue that is inclusive, balanced, consensus-based, and results-oriented, with a view to overcoming the current differences on the way towards the establishment in the Middle East of a zone free of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction.

UN High-level Conference On Nuclear Disarmament

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether the Government will be represented at the UN High Level Conference on Nuclear Disarmament in May 2018.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​It remains hard to say at this stage whether the UN High Level Conference will lead to effective progress on nuclear disarmament. We are therefore planning to send a representative to attend the Organisational meeting of this Conference, with the aim of establishing a clearer view about the High Level Conference's aims and objectives. However the organisational meeting has been postponed once and it remains unclear if it, or the conference itself, will in fact take place in May.

Nuclear Disarmament

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to raise awareness of the global risks of nuclear weapons and the need for nuclear disarmament.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK has a strong record on reduction of nuclear weapons. The UK remains committed to the long term goal of a world without nuclear weapons. We firmly believe the best way to achieve this goal is through gradual multilateral disarmament negotiated using a step-by-step approach and within the framework of the Non Proliferation Treaty. We continue to campaign for the entry into force of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test ban Treaty; and to press for successful negotiations on a Fissile Material Cut-off Treaty in the Conference on Disarmament. The UK will attend the next Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in April 2018 where we will use that forum to engage with a wide range of states on how we can together tackle the challenges that we face on non-proliferation and disarmament.

Treaty On the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons

Stephen Gethins: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, whether he has had any recent discussions with his international counterparts on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The UK is committed to the Nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as the cornerstone of the international nuclear non-proliferation regime. The treaty prohibiting nuclear weapons risks weakening the consensus around the near-universal NPT, which has played an unparalleled role in curtailing the nuclear arms race. The UK will attend the next Preparatory Committee for the 2020 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference in April 2018 where we will use that forum to engage with a wide range of states on how we can together tackle the challenges that we face on non-proliferation and disarmament. The Minister for Asia and the Pacific also raised the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons when addressing the UN Security Council on 18 January 2018.

Zimbabwe: Visits Abroad

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, when he next plans to visit Zimbabwe.

Harriett Baldwin: The Foreign Secretary plans to visit Zimbabwe, but a date is not yet confirmed. There have been two Ministerial visits to Zimbabwe in the last six months, most recently my own visit in February.

Yemen: Military Intervention

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure emergency aid for civilians in Yemen is allowed through the Saudi-led blockade.

Alistair Burt: ​The ongoing conflict makes humanitarian access and delivery of aid into and within Yemen extremely difficult. We urge all parties to the conflict to take all reasonable steps to allow and facilitate rapid, safe and unhindered humanitarian access, as called for in the two UN Security Council Presidential Statements that the UK sponsored and coordinated in June 2017 and March 2018. This has been a constant theme of our engagement with the Saudi authorities. The UK played a leading role in persuading the Saudi-led Coalition to ease access restrictions on Hodeidah and Saleef ports, imposed after a Houthi ballistic missile was launched at Riyadh on 4 November. During the recent visit to London of Saudi Crown Prince Mohamed bin Salman, the UK and Saudi Arabia reaffirmed their commitment to work together to strengthen the inspection mechanism of the UN's Verification and Inspection Mechanism (UNVIM) to ensure that all Yemeni ports can remain fully open to commercial and humanitarian supplies. The UK is providing £1.3 million this financial year to UNVIM, and has deployed UK maritime experts to Djibouti to boost the inspections process. This is helping to increase the proportion of ships physically inspected almost ten-fold (from 8 per cent to 77 per cent).

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Sir Alan Duncan: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not introduced any regulations as a result of EU legislation since 23 June 2016 and we do not expect to introduce any regulations as a result of EU legislation in 2018.In 2019, we also do not expect to introduce any regulations as a result of EU legislation. However, the exact number is subject to ongoing negotiations.All regulations implementing EU legislation that have been introduced since 2013 and impact assessments, where available, can be found on www.legislation.gov.uk

Pakistan: Blasphemy

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent discussions has he had with his counterpart in Pakistan on the effect of blasphemy laws on minority communities in Pakistan.

Mark Field: The FCO remains deeply concerned by the misuse of the blasphemy laws and the treatment of religious minority communities in Pakistan.We regularly raise our concerns about the protection of minority communities and misuse of the blasphemy laws with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. During my most recent visit to Pakistan in November 2017, I discussed the treatment of religious minorities, including discrimination against the Ahmadiyya and Christian communities, with the Ministry of Human Rights. My colleague, the Minister of State for Commonwealth and the UN, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, raised the issue of freedom of religion and belief with Pakistan’s Interior Minister in February 2018.

India: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what representations he has made to the Indian Government in respect of recent protests in India in support of religious freedoms.

Mark Field: The UK Government remains committed to promoting and defending freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for individuals of all faiths or beliefs including in India. We continue to engage with Indian contacts, including minority representatives, on a range of human rights issues, including religious freedoms.The British High Commission in New Delhi, our network of Deputy High Commissions, as well as FCO officials in London, maintain an assessment of the human rights situation across India and run projects promoting minority rights. We are aware of reported incidents against religious minorities in India and continue to monitor the situation.

Brunei: Religious Freedom

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent representations he has made to the Brunei government on (a) freedom of religion and (b) respect for fundamental freedoms.

Mark Field: Our High Commissioner in Bandar Seri Begawan regularly discusses religious and fundamental freedoms with representatives of the Government of Brunei Darussalam, most recently in April 2018.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office: Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, how many (a) staff and (b) consultants in his Department are paid more than the Prime Minister pro-rata.

Sir Alan Duncan: Two members of UK-Based staff are paid more than the Prime Minister.​ Full details are available online as part of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s (FCO) transparency publications.We are unable to say how many consultants are paid more than the Prime Minister pro rata. Since consultancy services are often linked to wider projects, or can be for a particular service output, it is not always possible to identify a consultant's pay within wider consultancy contract costings. Where the FCO has a business need for consultancy, which cannot be met with in-house resources, this is always subject to business case clearance in line with Cabinet Office guidance on the hire of consultants.

Russia: Council of Europe

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what criteria he plans to use to decide whether to support lifting the suspension of Russian credentials at the council of Europe.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​In accordance with its status as a statutory body of the Council of Europe and independent from the Committee of Ministers, the decision is a matter for the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) to decide. PACE has made clear its own criteria for Russia to return which are laid down in the its own resolution requirements. PACE has not suspended Russia; the decision was taken by Russia since 2015 not to present credentials for its own Delegation in response to voting restrictions placed upon them by PACE following the illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014. The UK is clear that a Russian return to PACE would be contingent on the withdrawal of all Russian military personnel and support for separatists in Eastern Ukraine, as well as an end to the illegal annexation of the Crimean peninsula.

Somaliland: Diplomatic Service

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing enhanced consular services in Hargeisa, Somaliland.

Harriett Baldwin: ​The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel advice is clear that the British Embassy in Mogadishu is unable to provide consular assistance in Somalia, including in Hargeisa www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/somalia. However, we keep this decision under review.

Russia: Natural Gas

Daniel Kawczynski: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what discussions he has had with European countries on preventing the construction of the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Sir Alan Duncan: ​The Government has regular discussions with European partners on the security and resilience of energy supply in Europe. It is important that new infrastructure developments comply fully with EU internal market and competition rules and do not negatively affect security of supply. We will continue to discuss these issues and to support projects which ensure the proper functioning of the energy market.

Department for International Development

Nigeria: Boko Haram

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking help ensure the safety of schools in northern Nigeria from attack from Boko Haram.

Harriett Baldwin: All children have the right to learn in safe environments. The Government remains committed to supporting Nigeria to respond to humanitarian needs, and address the root causes of the conflict in the north-east of the country. Education is a crucial part of working towards a brighter future for the region. The UK and Nigeria have both endorsed the Safe Schools Declaration, which deters the military from use of schools and prevents schools becoming targets in conflict-affected areas. DFID is supporting the Government of Nigeria to implement the Declaration, including in the north-east. DFID supported the Safe School Initiative. Technical assistance provided has focused on supporting the Safe School Initiative secretariat through development of tools for reporting and monitoring of activities including training to school based management committees.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Preet Kaur Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what funding her Department has allocated to programmes in Cox's Bazar to prepare that place for the forthcoming monsoon season.

Alistair Burt: The UK is a leading donor to the humanitarian response in Bangladesh for the Rohingya people having committed £59m so far, which includes support for work regarding cyclone and monsoon preparation. This specifically consists of £3m for a joint UN project, which aims to ensure road access is maintained and improved, camp infrastructure is strengthened to be more resilient to flooding and landslides, and newly allocated land for relocations is being made safer for refugees. The UK has also allocated £1.5m to strengthen shelters and community flood awareness and preparedness.

Overseas Aid

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how many projects sponsored by her Department are targeted at (a) cholera (b) diptheria and (c) violence against women.

Alistair Burt: The number of DFID-funded programmes that target cholera fluctuates as we respond to rapidly changing needs. In recent months, DFID has supported responses to outbreaks of cholera in Yemen, DRC, Nigeria and South Sudan. DFID also helps to address cholera through funding to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Gavi and to research organisations such as the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease Research in Bangladesh. Two recent or current DFID programmes have targeted diphtheria: (1) The DFID-funded UK Emergency Medical Team (EMT) recently provided treatment for diphtheria in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh and DFID also provided £2 million to vaccinate children against diphtheria. (2) DFID helps to make the pentavalent vaccine available in developing countries through the UK’s ongoing contribution to Gavi. This vaccine provides protection against five diseases, one of which is diphtheria. Other DFID programmes that strengthen health systems or support basic water, sanitation and health services also help to tackle cholera and diphtheria. Since 2014 DFID has supported over 150 projects with significant elements focusing on the prevention of violence against women and girls, or support to survivors. 25 of these are wholly targeted at eliminating violence against women and girls.

Pakistan: Education

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what UK funds are earmarked for supporting education initiatives for minority communities in Pakistan.

Alistair Burt: The UK Government is firmly committed to promoting and protecting the right to freedom of religion or belief and to ensuring that our development assistance reaches the poorest and most marginalised, including minority groups, regardless of race, religion, gender, social background or nationality. DFID has education programmes in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces that support the implementation of Pakistan’s 2006 reformed curriculum, which teaches religious tolerance and respect for diversity. Independent evaluations have confirmed this curriculum to be based on the values of democracy, pluralism and peace aimed at educating students to be able to think critically about these issues.

Developing Countries: Renewable Energy

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the World Bank on investing in local, clean and renewable energy for poor communities.

Harriett Baldwin: The Secretary of State has had no specific discussions with the World Bank about investing in local, clean and renewable energy for poor communities. However, the UK is using its influence as a major shareholder to encourage the World Bank to step up its support for developing countries to invest in renewable energy. We do so in high level meetings, through our interventions in board discussions of the Climate Change Action Plan as well as in discussions on specific project plans to target cases where this is the most cost effective option for countries to expand their energy supply. The UK contributes to the World Bank’s work in this area through its core funding, as well as partnerships including the Energy Management Assistance Programme (ESMAP), the Climate Investment Funds and the Global Environment Facility. The UK strongly supports the World Bank’s work to increase access to cleaner, more efficient cooking and heating solutions, which now stretches across 15 countries with regional programmes in Asia, Africa and Central America. The World Bank committed to 28% of its financial support being climate related by 2020 and to achieving a number of goals, including on renewable energy, in its Climate Change Action Plan 2016 – 2020. We are currently in discussions with the World Bank on setting even more ambitious targets for the period beyond 2020.

Bangladesh: Rohingya

Ann Clwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what discussions she has had with the Bangladeshi Government on the protection of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh from the effects of the monsoon season; and (a) with whom she had and (b) what the outcome was of those discussions.

Alistair Burt: The Foreign Secretary and the Secretary of State for International Development wrote to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on 20 March 2018. The UK recognised Bangladesh’s strong national track record in cyclone and monsoon preparedness and response, and asked that this expertise be applied to the Rohingya response and that options are provided for people to move to land that is at a lower risk of flooding. UK Ministers and officials continue to liaise with Government of Bangladesh counterparts on this issue.

Caribbean: Overseas Aid

Dr Dan Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much money has been spent to support countries in the Caribbean in each year since 2010.

Harriett Baldwin: From 2010 to 2016, the UK has provided over £420m in bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Caribbean countries. In 2015, the DFID Caribbean programme increased by £330m, including through the establishment of the £300m UK Caribbean Infrastructure Fund (UKCIF). Following the devastation of Hurricanes Irma and Maria in 2017, the UK also provided over £185m in humanitarian and reconstruction support, mainly to the affected islands of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, British Virgin Islands, Turks and Caicos and Anguilla.   2010201120122013201420152016 figures in £ thousands£££££££Antigua and Barbuda32320331Barbados 52000000Belize 513221421,6649731,145423Dominica 195183432~49244Grenada 11112148~Guyana 1,0473675634061,0422,229658Haiti 16,9449,7143,2649,5854,6853,8505,996Jamaica 2,5406,4468,97912,4346,1777,7096,460Montserrat 10,73627,74421,26531,22220,30233,10828,534St. Kitts-Nevis1~2,35457000St. Lucia 1123016110018817543St.Vincent & Grenadines10274831~110~Suriname 00000320Trinidad & Tobago157000000West Indies, regional16,13313,36311,19010,7666,5487,77261,366Totals.47,88158,23548,01566,31939,92056,673103,525420,568Source: Statistics for International Development.

Commonwealth: Overseas Aid

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much and what proportion of her Department's aid budget has been allocated to Commonwealth countries in each of the last ten years.

Harriett Baldwin: The table below shows DFID’s bilateral Official Development Assistance (ODA) to Commonwealth countries in each of the last 10 years, and as a proportion of total DFID ODA going to countries. The allocation of UK aid has changed over the past decade. We currently work in countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East, many of which are fragile or at risk from fragile neighbours including Jordan and Lebanon. We also have regional programmes in Africa, Asia and the Caribbean, and development relationships with aid-dependent Overseas Territories. DFID has increased its focus on the poorest and most fragile states, and decreased traditional aid to countries that can finance their own development, such as India and South Africa, where we have transitioned to new forms of partnership based on mutual interest.£ million Total DFID ODA allocable to specific countries1of which: DFID allocable ODA to Commonwealth countriesCommonwealth countries of total DFID allocable ODA20072,0391,21760%20082,3981,35456%20092,6991,44454%20102,6631,54258%20113,0241,63554%20122,9641,55252%20133,6481,94253%20143,6091,80750%20153,9251,94149%20164,0171,83146%Excludes bilateral ODA for regional, global and centrally managed programmes benefitting multiple countries, which is unassigned to specific countriesSource: Statistics on International Development

Syria: Humanitarian Aid

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what assessment she has made of the humanitarian situation in Idlib, Syria; and if she will make a statement.

Harriett Baldwin: The humanitarian situation in Idlib is dire. Sites hosting internally displaced people and towns are severely overcrowded, and food, shelter and water are in short supply. We are deeply concerned by reports that the intensification of hostilities has displaced over 300,000 people within Idlib governorate since December 2017. An additional 50,000 people have arrived from Eastern Ghouta since mid-March, stretching scarce resources further.

Israel: Palestinians

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, pursuant to the Answer of 16 April to Question 134885, on Israel: Palestinians, which local civil society organisations her officials consulted.

Harriett Baldwin: We held conversations directly with a number of organisations and indirectly via trusted donors and NGO groupings to draw on their experience and knowledge of the sector. Publishing the names of these organisations could harm their ability to do effective people-to-people work in the region due to the inherent sensitivities.

Somaliland: Overseas Aid

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, how much aid her Department provided aid to Somaliland which was delivered by multilateral agencies in each of the last three years.

Harriett Baldwin: DFID does not compile formal aid spend statistics broken down at sub-national level. However, information on UK Government spend in Somalia through multilateral agencies, which includes spend in Somaliland, is shown in the table below for the last 3 calendar years, 2014 to 2016.UK Official Development Assistance to Somalia, 2014 – 2016  2014 (£ thousand)2015 (£ thousand)2016 (£ thousand)Bilateral funding123,791121,828151,715Of which was channelled through multilateral agencies56,76941,78857,614Estimated core multilateral funding118,47423,61021,0611. UK funding to the core budgets of multilateral organisations cannot be directly attributed to countries, instead estimates are calculated on the basis of the spend of the multilaterals in countries and the UK’s share of core funding to multilateral organisations.Source: Statistics on International Development

Department for Education

Teachers: Training

Liz Twist: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, for what reasons his Department does not offer a subject knowledge enhancement grant to people training as religious education teachers; and if he will take steps to offer such grants for people wishing to train as teachers in that subject.

Nick Gibb: Holding answer received on 25 April 2018



Religious Education (RE) is important to the Department and is mandatory in all state funded schools. Funding for subject knowledge enhancement (SKE) training supports universities and schools in recruiting to initial teacher training places in priority subjects. Although funding for SKE does not extend to RE, the Department has protected the bursaries for trainees in RE this year, in recognition of the recruitment challenges faced. Funding is also being continued for schools offering School Direct (salaried) places in RE. Teacher supply modelling, and the financial incentives that support teacher training, are reviewed on an annual basis.

Apprentices: Finance

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment he has made of the effect of the 2017 changes to apprenticeship funding on the (a) number of employees and (b) level of funding of further education colleges with a role as partner providers for apprenticeships.

Mr Sam Gyimah: No specific assessment has been made of the impact of the apprenticeship reforms upon individual further education (FE) colleges, or other providers. However, we are actively considering the efficiency and resilience of the FE sector, and will be assessing how far current funding and regulatory structures meet the costs of high quality, world-class provision. Funding to FE colleges to deliver apprenticeships and the key role they play in the wider further education system will be considered as part of this assessment.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how much and what proportion of the sums raised for the apprenticeship levy were spent on apprenticeships in 2017-18.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The Office for Budget Responsibility estimates that £2.6 billion would be paid in apprenticeship levy on 2017-18. The department has ring-fenced the apprenticeship budget which has been set regardless of how much levy receipts are each year. This budget was set at £2.01 billion for the 2017-18 financial year and we will publish further details on our spending on apprenticeships in our annual report and accounts on GOV.UK.

GCE A-level

Gloria De Piero: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the most recent average point score per entry was for students of A-levels and equivalent qualifications in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England who were (i) eligible and (ii) not eligible for free school meals aged 15.

Nick Gibb: The average point score per entry for A level students[1], [2] in (a) Ashfield, (b) Nottinghamshire and (c) England who were (i) eligible and (ii) not eligible for FSM at the end of Key Stage 4 for 2016/17[3] are in the attached table. [1] Student characteristics, such as ethnicity and free school meal eligibility are not routinely or consistently collected at 16-18. Characteristics information as recorded for students at the end of key stage 4 are used in this analysis.[2] Covers students aged 16-18 who were at the end of advanced level study and entered for at least one A/AS level, applied single A/AS level, applied double A/AS level or combined A/AS level during 16-18 study.[3] Based on final data and may differ from previously published figures.



Students eligible and not eligible for FSM
(Word Document, 14.45 KB)

Children: Day Care

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether his Department plans to increase the hourly rate to nursery providers under the 30-hours free childcare scheme.

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he has plans for all the money provided to local authorities under the 30-hours free childcare scheme to be passed on to childcare providers.

Nadhim Zahawi: By 2019-20, the government will be spending £1 billion a year to deliver 30 hours of free childcare and fund the increase in rates that we introduced in April 2017. Our average hourly funding rate to local authorities for three- and four-year olds compares very favourably with published independent research into the hourly cost of childcare. We will continue to monitor delivery costs and have commissioned new research to provide us with robust and detailed cost data from a representative sample of early years providers. The government requires all local authorities to pass through 95% of their three and four year old funding to early years providers. The government allows 5% of funding to be held back so that authorities can meet their statutory duty to administer our entitlements and for central services such as specialist support for special educational needs provision.

STEM Subjects: Apprentices

Danielle Rowley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he is taking to improve the gender balance in the take-up of STEM apprenticeships.

Mr Sam Gyimah: As apprenticeships and skills are devolved matters, statistics provided are for England only. Women have accounted for over half of apprenticeship starts in recent years (53.4 per cent in 2016/17, 52.8 per cent in 2015/16, 53.0 per cent in 2014/15). The number of starts in STEM apprenticeships (both male and female) has grown from 95,000 in 2012/13 to 112,000 in 2016/17, when they accounted for 22.6% of all starts. The proportion of STEM apprenticeship starts by female learners was 7.7% in 2014/15, 8.3% in 2015/16 and 8.2% in 2016/17. We are taking action to address gender disparities in the take up of STEM-related apprenticeships through a range of activities. These include taking part in the Year of Engineering 2018 and use of the Education and Skills Funding Agency’s (ESFA) Apprenticeship Diversity Champions Network (ADCN). We have also made it easier for part-time workers to undertake apprenticeships, such as those with caring responsibilities and lone parents. Since being established last year, the ADCN has advocated activity around championing women in STEM apprenticeships to address this issue, including developing best practice to share across employers. We are also taking action in regard to employers and career advice. Working with employers, we are taking action to help inform the decisions girls make about their future education and career choices. We are undertaking work to assess the breadth and effectiveness of current careers provision in schools and colleges on STEM, and evaluating approaches to careers provision to encourage girls to consider jobs in STEM industries. Finally, we are involved with wider government work such as Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy’s STEM Ambassador programme.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to make an assessment of the adequacy of support provided to registered disabled students (a) at and (b) about to enter further or higher education.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Higher education providers (HEPs) are responsible under the Equality Act 2010 to make reasonable adjustments and offer other support for disabled students to ensure they are not placed at a substantial disadvantage compared to non-disabled students. Disabled students should have their needs met through inclusive learning practices and individual reasonable adjustments made by their HEP. We expect HEPs to take primary responsibility for less specialist non-medical help. Information on the ways in which HEPs offer such support can be found at: http://www.hefce.ac.uk/pubs/rereports/year/2017/modelsofsupport/. Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) provide valuable, more specialist support for eligible disabled students, enabling them to participate in higher education alongside non-disabled students. The department has commissioned a research project to explore the impact of DSAs on eligible students. Further education providers also have responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 to support disabled students. Ofsted and Care Quality Commission jointly inspect local areas to see how well they fulfil their responsibilities for children and young people with special educational needs and disabilities. Outcome letters from 53 local areas have been published to date. Individual post-16 institutions are inspected by Ofsted, who may grade and report on provision for high needs learners. These learners are defined as young people aged 16-18, or aged 19-24 with an Education Health and Care plan, who require additional support over £6,000.

Disabled Students' Allowances

Dr David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many registered disabled students in (a) further and (b) higher education have received support from his Department in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Mr Sam Gyimah: A number of financial support schemes are available to eligible 16-19 year olds (up to 25 years of age if they have an Education, Health and Care Plan) to help with the costs associated with staying in post-16 education. This can include support for travel, educational trips, and course equipment costs, childcare funding (for young parents under 20) and support with accommodation costs. In particular, the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund targets support at young people who most need help with the costs of staying on in post-16 education and training. Students in defined vulnerable groups – young people in care, care leavers, those on income support (or Universal Credit) and disabled young people in receipt of both Employment and Support Allowance (or Universal Credit) and Disability Living Allowance (or Personal Independence Payments) – may receive yearly bursaries of £1,200 a year (pro-rata for part-timers). For learners aged 19 and above, providers are able to access Learner Support funding to help learners with a specific financial hardship to help meet costs such as transport, accommodation, books, equipment and childcare. The table below provides information on the numbers of eligible English-domiciled students who have applied for and received higher education Disabled Students’ Allowances (DSAs) in the last five years.  Full-time undergraduate studentsPart-time undergraduate studentsPostgraduate studentsAcademic yearNumber of studentsAmount paidNumber of studentsAmount paidNumber of studentsAmount paid2011/1253,300£125.1m3,000£7.9m4,700£11.8m2012/1356,600£127.6m3,000£7.3m4,900£10.9m2013/1460,200£134.2m2,700£6.6m5,600£11.9m2014/1559,900£132.2m3,500£8.6m5,800£11.0m2015/1658,900£115.6m3,800£8.9m5,600£10.6m2016/17*54,900£92.1m3,400£6.4m7,100£11.4m *Figures for 2016/17 are provisional.(Source: Student Loans Company. http://www.slc.co.uk/official-statistics/financial-support-awarded/england-higher-education.aspx). Although we do not yet have full-year data for 2016/17, we expected to see a reduction in DSAs’ take-up from 2016/17 as higher education providers are now expected to provide less-specialist non-medical help for disabled students as part of their responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010.

Teachers: Mental Health Services

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what mental health support is available for teachers in (a) the North East and (b) England.

Nick Gibb: Head teachers have a duty to lead and manage a healthy workforce with a proper regard for their well-being. It is their responsibility to ensure that systems are in place to support teachers who are experiencing problems and to provide them with the appropriate level of support.

Teachers: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the net change has been in the number of (a) primary school teachers and (b) secondary school teachers in the North East in each year since 2010.

Nick Gibb: The attached table provides the full-time equivalent number of qualified and unqualified teachers in state funded nursery and primary schools, and state funded secondary schools in the North East region in England. The table also shows the net change between years. All figures are as at November each year.



FTE_Teachers_In_Nursery_Primary_Schools
(PDF Document, 9.4 KB)

Disabled Students' Allowances

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, whether he plans to introduce a means-test for the £200 self-contribution under the disabled students' allowance.

Mr Sam Gyimah: Means-tested living costs support for full-time undergraduate students from low income backgrounds increased by 10.3% in 2016/17 compared with the previous grants and loans package. There was a further increase of 2.8% for the current academic year, 2017/18, and a 3.2% increase for the 2018/19 academic year. All higher education (HE) students now require access to a computer so this is considered a mainstream cost to participate in HE. Eligible HE students are able to access Maintenance Loans, which are paid as a contribution towards a student’s living costs, and we believe it is reasonable for any student to fund the purchase of a standard computer for email and word processing purposes from their maintenance support. The cost of a standard computer has been calculated at around £200. Disabled students recommended that a higher-powered computer to run assistive software as part of a Disabled Students’ Allowance (DSAs) needs assessment are funded for computer costs in excess of £200. Students are not expected to fund any recommended assistive software or the training to use it.  DSAs are not means tested and we do not propose to introduce means testing for any particular element of that support.

Educational Visits: Countryside

Dan Jarvis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps his Department is taking to support visits by urban schools to the countryside.

Nick Gibb: Not all children have easy access to green spaces and the Government is taking action to address this. Spending time in nature during school can encourage children to have a relationship with the outdoors and the new science and geography curriculum and qualifications encourage pupils to undertake fieldwork as part of their course of study. In the 25 Year Environment Plan, £10 million has been committed over the next five years to programmes that will connect pupils in the most disadvantaged areas with nature. This includes ensuring that schools, special schools and alternative provision institutions in the most disadvantaged areas will be offered support to establish a programme of visits to natural spaces, such as city farms, local nature reserves or Nationals Parks. This programme will be open to schools from autumn 2019. The Government will also support these settings with funding to transform their school grounds and to design and run activities to support pupils' health and wellbeing through contact with nature. More information regarding these programmes will be made available in due course, and the 25 Year Environment Plan can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/ government/publications/25-year-environment-plan.

Carers: Learning Disability

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what steps he has taken to ensure the effectiveness of capacity assessments for people with learning disabilities who wish to look after a child.

Darren Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what the criteria are for capacity tests used to assess a person's suitability to look after a child; and what guidance his Department has issued on the use of those criteria.

Nadhim Zahawi: Neither the Children Act 1989 nor its supporting statutory guidance prescribes the criteria that local authority social care should consider when assessing the capacity of a parent or prospective carer. However, relevant guidance for local authorities in making these decisions is set out, primarily, in the following publications: ‘Working Together to Safeguard Children (2015)’, setting out the parameters and principles of a high quality assessment, including of parental capacity; ‘Care Planning The Children Act 1989 guidance and regulations, Volume 2: care planning, placement and case review (2015)’, setting out factors to be considered in assessing the parenting capacity of the parent, and procedures that should be followed in placing a looked after child with a carer or in residential care. Decisions are therefore based on the professional judgement of social workers and the circumstances of the individual child; the local authority is under a duty to safeguard and promote the child’s welfare and when the court makes a decision the welfare of the child is paramount. Where a carer is needed for a child who cannot live with their birth parents, all types of prospective carers – whether foster carers, special guardians or adoptive parents – are considered in terms of their capacity to look after children in a safe and responsible way that meets the child’s development needs, and will have been assessed and approved by the local authority or a relevant agency. The government is undertaking wide-ranging reforms to improve the quality of social work practice and decision-making, including through assessment and accreditation against Knowledge and Skills Statements, which are also the post qualifying standards for child and family social work. These standards provide clarity about the expectations of child and family social workers, with specific reference to effective assessments.

Apprentices

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what proportion of apprenticeship starts have been taken by (a) a person of BAME background and (b) women in each sector subject area in each of the last three years.

Mr Sam Gyimah: These figures are publically available and published by the department in the Further Education data library:https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/fe-data-library-apprenticeships. The tables attached provide the proportions of apprenticeship starts for a) learners of a Black Asian Mixed and Minority Ethnic background and b) female learners, by a breakdown of sector subject area for the last three academic years.



Proportions_of_apprenticeship_starts
(Word Document, 71.5 KB)

Students: Loans

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what estimate he has made of the additional cost to students in loan fees following the increase in March of the retail prices index.

Mr Sam Gyimah: The mechanism for setting student loan interest rates is set out in legislation. Interest rates are set annually. They apply from 1 September and are based on the retail prices index (RPI) figure from the previous March. The RPI for March 2018 was 3.3%, compared to 3.1% in March 2017. The interest rate on post-2012 student loans is set at RPI+3% during study and then varies with earnings. The government increased the repayment and interest thresholds for student loans to £25,000 in April 2018, saving graduates up to £360 per year in repayments and reducing the interest charged for many borrowers. Borrowers with earnings of up to £25,000 are charged an interest rate of RPI, which increases to RPI+3% for borrowers earning above £45,000. It is not possible to provide a meaningful estimate of the additional amount that a student will need to repay in future as a result of the change in interest rates, as this will depend on the borrower’s loan balance and future earnings. The increase in student loan interest rates from 1 September 2018 will affect only high-earning borrowers who will pay back all, or very nearly all, their student loans. The government expects that around 30% to 35% of post-2012 borrowers with higher education loans and 40% to 45% of borrowers with advanced learner loans will repay their student loans in full.

Apprentices: Taxation

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Education, with reference to the oral contribution of the Chancellor of the Exchequer of 17 April 2018, Official Report, column 176, what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the future of the apprenticeship levy.

Mr Sam Gyimah: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State and the wider department have regular dialogue with my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer and Her Majesty’s Treasury, to support the delivery of the government’s ambitions for high quality apprenticeships that deliver the skills the economy needs.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Exports

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many authorised live animal export centres there are in each region and constituent part of the UK; and whether there are differences between them in respect of the process for inspection and certification for EU and non-EU exports.

George Eustice: The number of approved assembly centres within Great Britain can be found in the table below. EnglandScotlandWales1921 All assembly centres within the UK are required to follow the same guidance and instruction as set out in Council Directives 64/432/EEC (as amended) and 91/68/EEC (as amended). Northern Ireland data is not included in this data, as responsibility for assembly centres rests with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Exports from assembly centres to non-EU third countries are not permitted.

Pets: Sales

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of existing legislation regulating the online sale of pets.

George Eustice: We have passed new legislation which replaces the existing law on the sale of pets. Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 it is clear that anyone in the business of selling pets, whether online or from a traditional pet shop, will need a licence from their local authority. The new regulations come into force on 1 October and will be enforced by local authorities.

Members: Correspondence

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for the Environment plans to respond to the letter of 29 January 2018 from the hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne North on the Food Insecurity Bill.

George Eustice: We received the mentioned letter on 7 February 2018 and a reply was sent on the 17 April 2018. We have forwarded an additional copy to your office for your records.

Farmers: Bankruptcy

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report of 16 April in the Farmers' Guardian on  why 25 per cent of British farms could go bankrupt after Brexit, what steps his Department is taking to ensure such farms remain viable.

George Eustice: Leaving the EU provides us with an opportunity to move away from the current subsidy system which pays farmers simply on the basis of the amount of land they farm. That system has not served farmers well, is not seen as fair, and does not provide good value to the taxpayer. The Government understands the importance of providing stability to farmers as we leave the EU and has pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support for the duration of this Parliament, providing much needed certainty to farmers and landowners. Productivity is an important driver of long term economic growth. Leaving the EU is an opportunity for the farming industry to boost domestic productivity through supporting innovation and investment and encouraging best industry cultures and structures. Earlier this year the Countryside Productivity Small Grant Scheme was launched, offering grants of between £3,000 and £12,000 for a range of equipment to improve productivity on farms. This follows on from the £40 million of grants launched in October last year to support investment in cutting edge technology and new equipment. Additionally, the Government will shortly be launching a £10 million collaboration fund to help farmers and small producers to work together to improve their competitiveness, access new markets and strengthen their position in the supply chain.

Rights of Way

Theresa Villiers: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will set a date for commencement of those provisions of the Deregulation Act 2015 which relate to public rights of way.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: The Stakeholder Working Group, which developed the recommendations for reform, produced a finely balanced set of proposals. We plan to implement the package in the first half of 2019, subject to Parliamentary time.

Water Companies

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings have taken place between private water companies and (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department in the last six months.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: There have been five meetings between private water companies and Defra Ministers in the last six months to discuss policy issues relating to regulation of the water industry and the current activities of water companies. The Secretary of State attended the Water UK City Conference on 1 March where he told the water companies they must change behaviour to restore confidence. https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/a-water-industry-that-works-for-everyone Water company representatives have also attended at least one stakeholder event with Ministers in relation to the Government’s 25 Year Plan for the environment. Defra officials meet regularly with private water companies to discuss a range of topics, including the regulation of the water industry, water and wastewater policy issues, consumer policy issues, and management of emergency incidents

Sheep: Diseases

Sir Mark Hendrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the incidence of chlamydial abortion in sheep.

George Eustice: Chlamydial abortion is endemic in the UK. We have made a commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to support industry to reduce the impact of endemic livestock diseases. Decisions on which diseases to prioritise will be taken forward in consultation with industry. Farmers can already control chlamydial abortion through good biosecurity and vaccination.

Food: Production

Mr Philip Hollobone: What assessment he has made of the level of self-sufficiency in food production in England and Wales; and whether he plans to increase that level.

George Eustice: The UK’s current production to supply ratio is 76% for indigenous-type foods and 60% for all foods. This is not low in the context of the past 150 years. The UK has historically been a net-importer of food sourced from a diverse range of stable countries and this will continue once we leave the EU. Looking ahead, we now have the opportunity to design an agricultural policy which increases productivity through innovation, technology and skills.

Animal Welfare: Standards

Theresa Villiers: What steps he is taking to improve standards of animal welfare.

George Eustice: We have some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world and this government is committed to build on this. It has reformed dog breeding and pet sales licensing, has introduced mandatory CCTV in abattoirs to improve welfare at slaughter and is exploring other measures that go beyond EU standards including controlling live exports, and a ban on the use of shock collars for dogs and cats. We have also published draft legislation to increase the maximum penalties for animal cruelty ten-fold from the current 6 months to 5 years’ imprisonment.

Agriculture: Subsidies

Helen Goodman: What steps he has taken to reduce delays in processing applications for the basic payment scheme.

George Eustice: Since the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2015, the Rural Payments Agency has made improvements in the processing of applications including the introduction of online applications, online land and entitlement transfers, reducing the time to process transactions, and further support and guidance to help farmers successfully submit their applications. This has led to improvements in the BPS payment performance with over 90% of eligible farmers being paid by the end of December for the 2016 and 2017 scheme years.

Plastics: Waste Disposal

Damien Moore: What steps he is taking to reduce plastic waste in England.

Dr Thérèse Coffey: Our Resources and Waste Strategy, which we will publish in the autumn, will explain how we will eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. The Government intends to ban the sale of plastic straws, drink stirrers and plastic-stemmed cotton buds. There are also plans to introduce a deposit return scheme in England. Both approaches are subject to consultation. This builds on the success of the carrier bag charge which has taken 9 billion carrier bags out of circulation. As stated in the 25 Year Environment Plan, we will review the producer responsibility schemes.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Department for Exiting the European Union: EU Law

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, which regulations his Department (a) has introduced as a result of EU legislation from 23 June 2016 to date and (b) expects to implement as a result of EU legislation in (i) 2018 and (ii) 2019; and what estimate he has made of the cost of each such regulation to the (A) public purse and (B) private sector.

Suella Braverman: My department has not introduced any regulations as a result of EU legislation. We do not expect to make any regulations as a result of EU legislation in 2018 and 2019, however, this will be dependent on negotiations.

Department for Exiting the European Union: Pay

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union, how many (a) staff and (b) consultants in his Department are paid more than the Prime Minister pro-rata.

Mr Steve Baker: The Department for Exiting the European Union can confirm that 1 member of staff is paid more than the Prime Minister on a pro-rata basis. A central list of all individuals within Government earning a total pay package of £150,000 and above is published on data.gov.uk website. Details of DExEU Board members pay is available in the Remuneration Report in the Department’s Annual Report and Accounts, which is made publicly available at this link: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/annual-report-and-accounts-2016-17. The Department does not have access to the salaries consultants are paid by their respective companies.

Attorney General

Attorney General: Cleaning Services

Catherine West: To ask the Attorney General, what information he holds on the rate of remuneration for cleaners in his Department.

Jeremy Wright: Holding answer received on 29 March 2018



The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not directly employ cleaning staff. Cleaning services in buildings managed by the Department are outsourced. The suppliers pay, as a minimum, the National Living Wage.The Serious Fraud Office (SFO) pays for cleaning services as part of its service charge. The contracted cleaners are paid at least the minimum wage.The Government Legal Department (GLD) and Her Majesty’s Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate (HMCPSI) contract out their cleaning services; the providers have committed to pay a minimum of the London living wage to the staff who clean GLD’s London offices.The Attorney General’s Office (AGO) contracts out its cleaning services. The contracted cleaners are paid the National Living Wage.

Attorney General: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Attorney General, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Robert Buckland: The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) is responsible for the IT systems of CPS, Attorney General’s Office (AGO) and Her Majesty’s CPS Inspectorate (HMCPSI).Of their eight core corporate IT systems, six were launched more than eight years ago – however, the component parts thereof are replaced and upgraded regularly. Both the hardware and the software have been updated and refreshed throughout their lifetime to make them fit for continued use into the future. One of the other systems is approximately 5 years old, and the same applies; the remaining system is new.Where these systems are supplied by external providers, a requirement for prompt updating is part of the supplier contract. Where they are managed in-house, this is part of the internal service agreement with the relevant team. Our internal Service Management team monitors adherence to these commitments in all cases.The Government Legal Department (GLD) uses a number IT systems, most of which are regularly updated by applying the suppliers recommended patches and version updates, after appropriate testing.Specifically:(a) GLD has one system (Solcase) over three years old. It was last updated in 2014 and the next upgrade is due in May 2018.(b) GLD has two systems (RKYV and Windows 7) that are over 8 years old. The RKYV document management system, used by only a few individuals, is currently being decommissioned. This system was last updated in 2008. The desktop operating system is Windows 7, which was released in 2009. Configuration of a new Windows 10 build is in progress, and GLD is aiming to roll this out in the next month.The answers to the specific questions in relation to the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) are a) 8; b) 2 and c) 3. This information relates only to IT Business System Applications, which enable work to be processed, and not supporting infrastructure and operating systems.The calculated age of the SFO’s IT systems is based on the last upgrade or install date. Projects are already underway to replace or decommission a number of the systems that currently fall into the 8, 5 and 3 year old categories.

Attorney General: Written Questions

Catherine West: To ask the Attorney General, when he plans to answer Question 132843.

Jeremy Wright: I refer the hon. Member to my answer of 26 April 2018 to her Question 132843.

Wales Office

Severn River Crossing

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Transport on the renaming of the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: I had regular discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport prior to announcing the renaming of the Second Severn Crossing.

Severn River Crossing

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, if he will publish the representations he has received from the Welsh Government on the renaming of the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: We are discussing the publication of this material with the Welsh Government and I will write to you when those discussions conclude.

Severn River Crossing

Ben Lake: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales, what discussions he has had with officials at Clarence House on the petition against the renaming of the Second Severn Crossing.

Alun Cairns: None.

Ministry of Justice

Security Guards

Mr Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many security staff were employed in each year since 2010, and if he will make a statement .

Dr Phillip Lee: Holding answer received on 24 April 2018



The Ministry of Justice has one of the largest estates within government comprising courts, prisons, probation offices and administrative offices. Outsourced service providers employ security staff as required to provide security guarding services. The guarding levels for individual sites will depend on the risks posed for each site and will fluctuate in response to specific threats.The Ministry of Justice does not hold the information requested in relation to outsourced providers. The department directly employs security staff working at the Royal Courts of Justice only.The number of directly employed security and enforcement staff in each of the last five years was as follows: March 2014: 60March 2015: 62March 2016: 61December 2016: 60March 2018: 56Note: data not available for March 2017

Prison Service: Dismissal

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134276, on Prison Service: Dismissal, how many of those 419 cases of dismissal resulted in referrals to the police; what those referrals were for; and what the outcomes of those referrals were.

Liz Saville Roberts: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2018 to Question 134276, on Prison Service: Dismissal, what the grounds for dismissal were of each of the 133 staff dismissed for the reason labelled Other.

Rory Stewart: The number of band 2-5 staff in the Prison Service in England and Wales who have been dismissed by reason of dismissal, including a breakdown of the ‘Other’ category, are provided in the table below:Table 1: Number of band 2-5 staff in the Prison Service who have been dismissed, by reason, January - December 2017 Headcount of staffConduct73Unsatisfactory Attendance/Medical Inefficiency1201Poor Performance12Other133Conversion295Compromise Agreement35Unknown 33Total4191 Since January 2017, information regarding dismissals as a result of medical inefficiencies have been recorded as unsatisfactory attendances. Therefore, these categories have been combined.2 where a category under the outgoing online HR platform is not directly mapped to the incoming HR platform (SOP).3 legally binding contracts which can be used to end an employment relationship on agreed terms. It waives an individual right to make a claim covered by the agreement to an Employment Tribunal. The data on referrals to the police is not held centrally.

Legal Aid Scheme

Steve McCabe: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, whether he plans to reintroduce legal aid for early advice.

Lucy Frazer: Early legal advice is available for all legal cases within the scope of the Legal Aid, Sentencing and Punishment of Offenders Act 2012 (LASPO), subject to means and merits tests.Last year, nearly £100m of public money was spent on early legal advice in civil cases.The changes made to LASPO are currently being reviewed as part of a post-implementation review. This will include the changes made to the scope of early legal advice and legal representation. The results of this review will be published later this year. We will use this opportunity to inform our wider consideration on the future of early legal advice in the justice system.

Drugs: Halton

Derek Twigg: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, how many people in the Borough of Halton were prosecuted for illicit drugs offences in each year since 2010.

Lucy Frazer: The number of defendants proceeded against at magistrates’ courts for drugs offences, in the Cheshire Police Force area, from 2010 to 2016, can be viewed in the table. All prosecutions, including those for indictable drugs offences, commence in a magistrates’ court. Court proceedings data for 2017 are planned for publication in May 2018. Defendants proceeded against at magistrates courts for drugs offences, Cheshire Police Force Area, 2010 to 2016 (1)(2) Force/Local Justice Area2010201120122013201420152016Cheshire8578368868889971,014949of which:   Halton (3)119161278----North Cheshire (3)---358421372424 '-' Nil(1) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe. (2) Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used. (3) Halton Local Justice Area merged into North Cheshire Local Justice Area from 1 January 2013

Solicitors: Standards

Stephen Doughty: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice, what discussions he has had with the Solicitors Regulation Authority on the conduct of Blackstones and BW Legal in their work on behalf of private parking companies.

Lucy Frazer: The Ministry of Justice has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.

Cabinet Office

Cabinet Office: Cybercrime

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what discussions he has had with key infrastructure providers on the steps they are taking to protect themselves from cyber-attack.

Oliver Dowden: Government Departments and the National Cyber Security Centre have regular discussions with key infrastructure providers on their management of cyber risk.Ensuring the UK’s Critical National Infrastructure is secure and resilient against cyber attack is a priority for the Government as set out in the National Cyber Security Strategy. This is supported by a significant programme of work to provide advice, guidance and support to infrastructure providers and develop effective regulatory frameworks.

Cabinet Office: ICT

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many IT systems which his Department uses are more than (a) three, (b) five and (c) eight years old; and what steps he is taking to ensure that all his Department's IT systems are updated promptly.

Oliver Dowden: The Cabinet Office has access to a number of governmental IT platforms, one of which it has direct responsibility for - the Cabinet Office OFFICIAL platform.This platform was introduced in 2015 and, in line with NCSC recommendations, is subject to regular updates, testing and patching

Mass Media: Misrepresentation

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the planned effective operational date is for the Government's dedicated national security unit to tackle fake news and disinformation.

Chloe Smith: The National Security Communications Team is already in operation. Its purpose is to allow government to better tackle the communications elements of interconnected complex challenges to our national security, including (but not limited to) disinformation.This work differs to that of the Rapid Response Unit which has been recently launched based in No10 & the Cabinet Office, as part of the Government Communications Service (GCS) with the remit to expand existing digital analysis (including, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation) and content capability to communicate public information that is accurate, clear and responsive.

Mass Media: Misrepresentation

Christian Matheson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the staffing complement is by grade of the Government's dedicated national security unit to tackle fake news and disinformation.

Chloe Smith: The National Security Communications Team is expanding in capacity on the recommendations of the National Security Capability Review, published on the 28 March. The enhanced capability provided by the unit will ensure Government has the right mix of skills and expertise to use communications as a lever to support key national security objectives, and allow Government to better tackle the interconnected complex challenges to our national security, including (but not limited to) disinformation.Recruitment to the National Security team is ongoing.This work differs to that of the Rapid Response Unit which has been recently launched as a six-month pilot, based in No10 & the Cabinet Office, as part of the Government Communications Service (GCS) with the remit to expand existing digital analysis (including, but not limited to, misinformation and disinformation) and content capability to communicate public information that is accurate, clear and responsive.

Ethnic Groups: Kirklees

Thelma Walker: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, how many people in Kirklees have engaged with the Prime Minister’s initiative to tackle ethnic inequality that was launched in 2017; and how many of those people were under the age of 25.

Oliver Dowden: The Race Disparity Unit has engaged with wide range of national and local and community organisations, academics, local authorities and public service providers, and members of the public from across the UK. The Unit do not collect information on the age or number of individuals from different locations.

Serco

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the quarterly supplier reviews for Serco were collected; and when the next quarterly supplier review for that company is due.

Oliver Dowden: Government requests that, where practicable, that Strategic Suppliers submit Quarterly Returns detailing contracts with Government departments and the wider public sector. The last return was received from Serco in February 2018. The next return is due in May 2018. The information provided within the returns is commercially sensitive.

Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, on what dates the quarterly supplier reviews for Capita were collected; and when the next quarterly supplier review for that company is due.

Oliver Dowden: Government requests that, where practicable, that Strategic Suppliers submit Quarterly Returns detailing contracts with Government departments and the wider public sector. The last return was received from Capita in February 2018. The next return is due in May 2018. The information provided within the returns is commercially sensitive.

Government Departments: Procurement

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what information the Government uses from the quarterly returns of strategic suppliers; and for what purpose the Government uses that information.

Oliver Dowden: The information provided by strategic suppliers through the quarterly returns details contracts held with Government departments and the wider public sector. The information is used to inform a cross Government picture of a supplier’s activity.

Capita

Jon Trickett: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, with reference to Capita's refinancing deal announced on 23 April 2018, whether that company has been designated a high risk supplier; and whether an improvement plan has been agreed with that company.

Oliver Dowden: As stated in para 6.4 of the Strategic Supplier Risk Management policy (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80222/20121108_Strategic_Supplier_Risk_Management_Policy.pdf Cabinet Office does not publish supplier ratings.

Public Sector: Employment

Gavin Robinson: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what the process is for deciding which public sector jobs are reserved and require British citizenship.

Oliver Dowden: Section 3 of the Civil Service Nationality Rules Guidance sets out the criteria for those posts which are, and those which are capable of being reserved for UK nationals in the Civil Service. Reserved posts are generally those which, due to the sensitive nature of the work, require special allegiance to the Crown such that they can only be held by a UK national. Where a post falls within one of the categories listed in paragraph 3.6. of this guidance, the Minister responsible for the department or agency must consider whether it is necessary to reserve that post for UK nationals only. A small number of public sector bodies are also able to apply the Civil Service Nationality Rules, however the Cabinet Office does not hold information on the extent that these rules are applied in these organisations.

G4S

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, whether his Department has designated G4S as a high risk strategic supplier.

Oliver Dowden: As stated in para 6.4 of the Strategic Supplier Risk Management policy (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/80222/20121108_Strategic_Supplier_Risk_Management_Policy.pdf Cabinet Office does not publish supplier ratings.